A family, a fair
Our Island Fair offers tons of hands-on fun, including the Records and Burpee Traveling Children's Zoo
BY MARLI GUZZETTA INDEPENDENT ARTS EDITOR
On Saturday, the Island Fair will feature a smorgasbord of activities in the fashion of "good old country fun," according to Parks and Recreation - a flea market, local bands, tie-dye, a bounce machine, fruit, flower and vegetable contests and a popped button's worth of food concessionaires. But whether your interest is in fun that's old and country or amusements from the old country (that's where the concessionaires come in), everyone will coo over the animals from the Records & Burpee Traveling Children's Zoo, new this year.

Anteater Ayala and her son. COURTESY OF THE RECORDS BURPEE ZOO

Alexandra Burpee and her hus- band, Larry Records, have been operating the zoo since the early 90s, when the two of them left their obligations at other zoos and circuses to cultivate their small zoo and farm. They run it out of Dudley, Mass., and this is where all the goats, sheep and llamas used in the zoo are born.

However, the zoo does contain animals not typical of the common farm - including camels, monkeys, kangaroos, serval (a wild cat) and Zebu steer, an animal that is sacred to India.

The Independent file Watch out for those big pumpkins at the Island Fair this weekend.

"Most of these animals come from other zoos here in the country," Burpee said. "And a number were animals that ended up going to the wrong places or people as pets."

The 13-foot-long Burmese python may or may not be as much fun to pet as a llama for your youngster, but the couple will also have a set of tropical birds and reptiles on hand, in addition to the coatis (like American raccoons), squirrel monkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, red kangaroos, etc.

Even if the animals aren't the most "touchfriendly," they're all ladies and gentlemen. In addition to conducting petting zoos, the couple often takes animals into the schools to teach. The anteaters are Records favorite animals to display when trying to educate kids about the wonders of the wild, according to Burpee. "First, because they're so unusual and also great to handle," she said. "But also because they're the perfect example of adaptation for survival, with the way they're shaped. It's not like the dachsund, which was made the way it is to be interesting to us."

Burpee said her favorite animals in the zoo are probably the monkeys, because they are the "most inquisitive, and interested in us."

Again, inquisitiveness, education and responsibility are all important elements of the Records and Burpee show, which is - Burpee said while sitting amid a pile of paperwork on vaccinations and other medical up-keep - constantly maintained.

"All the testing and the bloodwork, all things you have to keep up with, keeps it interesting," she said. "Some people don't realize there's that much involved."

One of the great benefits of touring is downplaying any stereotypes about the animals people may have acquired. Their dromedary camels, for example, spit at no one by their veterinarian and are actually quite personable, Burpee said.

"Camels have a bad reputation," she said. "They really just want to be near you."

In fact, the couple doesn't tour with any animal that is unhappy being around people. Sure, some of the animals may be more "treat-oriented" than they are genuinely social, but all of them are content, she said.

"We were out somewhere, and one of the coatis, at one point, got out," Burpee remembered. "All he did was hang around the cage or sit on top of it. I don't want to have anything that's going to be

unhappy." I
When: Sat., Sept. 8, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sun., Sept 9, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: Tom Nevers
Cost: Free with a $10 parking fee
For more information,
call 228-7213