The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-11-16, Page 22PAGE 2A —GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1978
People
'flparticu
ar
Peter Vernon, owner of 'the Fin 'n Beak, a new pet
shop opening this week on Hamilton Street,
-Peter and -pets
examines the
and mounted
shend)
111/2 pound rainbow trout he caught
last year. (photo by Elaine Town -
Zoology can be fascinating
BY ELAINE
TOWNSHEND
"If you treat animals
right, they seem very
appreciative of
everything you do for
them, more so than some
humans," says Peter
Vernon, owner of a new
pet shop on Hamilton
Street called the Fin ''n
Beak.
shop specializes in
fresh water and marine
fish, but also has birds,
rodents an,d other
animals; later Peter
hopes to have reptiles.
A special attraction at
the shop is a pirahna, but
it isn't for sale. That's
Peter's own pet.
Peter has been in-
terested in birds; fish and
animals all his life. His
wife, Jill, recalls that
when they started dating
she was startled by the
number of cages around
his house.
'He studied for his
teacher's certificate,
majoring in. Biology and
Zoq,logy at Blackpool
College in England. His
plans to teach changed
when he acquired a
position in the fish and
bird section of the Black-
pool Zoological Gardens.
When he left England
three years ago, he was
curator of the bird sec-
tion.
According to Peter, the
Blackpool Zoological
Gardens, especially the
Free Flight Bird Hall, is a
"terrific idea".
The aviary is as large
as a hockey arena, and
the roof is supported by
air. Inside are waterfalls,
trees and bushes, giving
the birds a natural setting
.in which to live.. Even hot
humid air can be
provided for birds native
to tropical forests.
This ideal environment
helped Peter and his
assistants to achieve the
successful breeding and
rearing of Ian Den
Bosch's Pitta, better
known as the Jewel
Thrush, in 1973. The Pitta
is native to tropical forest
ranging from Africa to
the Solomon Islands and
Australia, and the, Black-
pool incident was the first
successful breeding in
Europe.
In recognition of the
accomplishment, the
Blackpool zoological
Gardens was.•awarded a
Foreign Bird League
Breeder's Certificate,
and in 1974, Peter
published an account in
the Avicultura'l.
Magazine, a world-wide
publication.
RHINO EXCHANGE
Peter also recalls when
the Gardens imported
two white rhinoceros
from Africa. A few
months later the staff
was surprised by 'the
birth of a 93 -pound baby
rhino. The baby rhino
was given to the London
Zoo, which later sent it to
Peking in exchange for a
panda.
While ' at Blackpool,
Peter became interested
in taxidermy because it
seemed a shame to waste
the carcass of an animal
that had died of natural
causes..
According to Peter,
,anyone can learn
taxidermy by reading a
book, but a good
taxidermist must be a
;.
naturalist. Hemust knout
the bird, fish or animal he
is mounting - how it
moves, walks, swims,
flies, etc.
An experienced
taxidermist mounts a
woodpecker on a piece of
bark, but a good
taxidermist mounts the
bird .vertically on a tree
trunk with its tail wedged
for support.
The smallest specimen
Peter has Mounted is a
two-inch long ruby -
throated humming bird.
It contrasts with the 111/2 -
pound rainbow trout that
he caught recently and
with the 75 -pound buffalo
head he mounted for a
Bayfield couple ia-st yxt ar.
Having worked with
animals for ten or twelve
years and being what he
terms a "true con-
servationist," Peter has
some strong views on
zoos.
"A zoo should be a
learning experience, not
a sideshow," he main-
tains.
TORONTO ZOO
GOOD
The Blackpool
Zoological Gardens and
the Toronto Metro Zoo
are two excellent con-
cepts that give the
animals space and a
more natural setting.
Few people realize the
cost of maintaining a zoo,
though. One elephant
alone eats seventy bales
of !hay and sixty to
seventy pounds of
vegetables and drinks
sixty gallons of water
each day. • I
Peter deplores other
types of zoos that con-
sider animals only as a
TEM/ ` '1a
the t<n .1 eh:Mill_ tterViCe
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Phone Steamatic
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means, of profit He is
likewise appalled by the
abuse that some ignorant
or sadistic members of
the public vent on
animals in zoos.
Eighty percent of the
public, he believes, is
knowledgeable, but the
other twenty percent
must be educated to the
danger of extinction of
certain species, the
_importance of protecting
wild animals and the
proper treatment of the
animals.
"When you've been
around animals most of
your life -and worked with
them for 10 or 12 years,
it's hard to do something
else," Peter admits.
He came to Canada
with the understanding
an opening was waiting at
the Toronto Zoo, but when
the position didn't
materialize, Peter and
Jill moved to Goderich
where they had visited
friends on a few
vacations. Since then,
Peter has worked at
Bendix in Hensall,, but he
longed to be working with
animals again. As a
result, he decided to
venture into the operation
of a pet shop.
He hopes to be able to
help his customers at the
Fin 'n Beak to learn about
the proper care of their
new or unusual pets. He'll
probably also share some
of his past experiences
with them for he has a
great deal of experience
from which to draw.
Maple Leaf
IODE meets
at Stringers
The November meeting
of Maple Leaf Chapter
IODE was held at the
home of Mrs. J. Stringer.
Regent, Mrs. W. Garrow
presided and both table
flags were on display.
_ __._Reports...were.received
from Mrs. P. Rivers,
secretary and Mrs. E.
Howey, treasurer.
Mrs. J. McIntyre, Ways
and Means Convener,
announced that the
Fashion Show had been
very successful.
The members voted to
buy a wheelchair for the
Day Care' Centre at
Huronview and to have a
plaque placed on it, They
also agreed to make a
donation to the Christmas
Bureau of Family and
Children's Services.
Mrs. R. McDonald,
Services Convener,
reported that the bale had
been sent to Provincial
Headquarters for
distribution,— _
Membership secretary,
Mrs. W. Stanbury
brought forward Mrs. R.
Nephew to take her af-
firmation. The Regent
extended a warm
welcome to Mrs. Nephew.
Mrs. Howey introduced
the list of donations for
Provincial and National
IODE funds. These were
accepted by the Chapter.
Mrs. Garrow read a
letter from the National
President asking that
every member consider a
new badge design. Voting
on this design will take
place at the December
meeting.
Mrs.M. " McGill has
tickets for the Christmas
Party which will be held
Tuesday, December 5 at
6:30 p.m. in St: Peter's
Parish Hall. Mrs. Miller..
will cater.
Mrs. McDonald
thanked Mrs. Stringer for
having the meeting and
lunch was served by Mrs.
R. Robertson and her
committee.
NOW IS
THE TIME
To ordor your
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