March
8, 2018 - Opie's Diary of Daily Doings
at Rikki's Refuge
photo compliments of Doug Deal
It's
a beautiful day .... alternating bright
sunshine and cloud cover .... making
for wonderful cloud photos.
Sorry about my photos today, we've had some kind of technical glitch and the
usually good quality didn't come thru ....
we've spent far too much time trying to figure out what's happening and
have to get to work .... so this is the best I can do today ....
We'll try to get things fixed tonight so our photos tomorrow come out
crisp and clear !!!
Brayyyyyy
.... Honk honk ..... neighhhhhh
...... the sounds of Rikki's
!!!
photo compliments of Doug Deal
Mooooo
Moooooooo
photo compliments of Doug Deal
Bheeeeeehhhh
Bheeeeeehhhh
photo compliments of Doug Deal
Breakfast
time !!!!!
photo compliments of Doug Deal
RIKKI'S
IN THE NEWS
In
the Fredericksburg Freelance Star and in lots of other places across the nation
!!!
photo compliments of FLS
MEET
AN UNLIKELY CRIMINAL MASTERMIND
Peepers
the emu, resident kleptomaniac at Rikki's Refuge in Orange, stars in new
National Geographic book
By ADELE UPHAUS–CONNER THE FREE LANCE–STAR
Peepers,
an emu with a penchant for stealing shiny jewelry, eats a broccoli snack at
Rikki's Refuge in Orange.
Peepers,
a 6-foot-tall emu who resides in Emu Estates at Rikki’s Refuge Animal Sanctuary
in Orange County, loves nibbling broccoli florets, racing with his emu
friends—and stealing jewelry off people.
Visitors
to the enclosure where he lives are cautioned not to wear anything shiny,
because the bird will nab it. He’s snatched glasses off faces and barrettes out
of hair. He’s attempted to pull earrings out of ears and necklaces from
necks—on one occasion pulling the necklace-wearer along behind him.
He
stole the wire cutters, pliers, screwdrivers and hammer of a handyman who came
to fix the fence on his enclosure and pinched a gold money clip right out of
another visitor’s pocket.
“He’s
just a thief,” said local author Candice Ransom, who wrote about Peepers and
his antics in a new National Geographic Kids book, “Terrier Trouble! And More
True Stories of Animals Behaving Badly.”
Ransom
will sign copies of the book at Re-Tail, a thrift store benefiting Rikki’s
Refuge, on March 24. There will be emu-related door prizes and giveaways and
coloring pages and stickers for kids.
Ransom
said that when National Geographic asked her to do the book, she immediately
thought of Rikki’s Refuge.
“I
had never been there, but I thought, ‘That place must have a million stories,’
” she said.
She
contacted Lolly Busey, the volunteer in charge of leading tours of the
sanctuary. Busey confirmed that there were definitely mischievous animals at
Rikki’s Refuge—in particular, Peepers, the kleptomaniac emu.
“I
was intrigued right away,” Ransom said. “I was expecting they would tell me
about some naughty goats, but this was different. It’s not every day you see an
emu, and one who’s a pickpocket at that!”
Ransom
said Peepers was well-behaved when she met him last summer, but she had been
warned not to wear anything sparkling. She tossed him vanilla wafers, which he
caught in midair.
She
said she researched Peepers’ thieving behavior and came up with a few reasons
for it.
“In
reality, these birds would swallow these things to help break up some of the
food they eat, in place of a gizzard,” she said. “But they also do it to get
people to play with them. They want to run. They like the thrill of the chase.”
Emus
are large, flightless birds, native to Australia and related to ostriches.
Peepers and his sister, Phoebe, were hatched as part of a school project in
Manasass, but the baby emus were going to grow to be 6 feet tall and they
needed a new home.
They
went to live at Rikki’s, which eventually ended up with 10 emus. One was found
wandering the roads of Orange County.
“People
raise them for emu oil,” Busey said. The oil is made from fatty deposits below
the birds’ skin and is said to have moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties.
At
Rikki’s Refuge, the birds live as kings and queens of Emu Estates, along with
their friends, the potbellied pigs. They are among the 22 animal species—close
to 1,300 animals in total—who live at the 450-acre animal sanctuary.
The
organization celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
“Adoption
is not our goal,” said Melissa Felts, Re-Tail manager and a 10-year volunteer
at Rikki’s. “Life care is our goal.”
Animals
come to Rikki’s from all over the world. Many of them are differently abled,
such as a cat born without hind legs and a dog born with undeveloped eyes.
The
dog, a Dobermann named Duke, was Rikki’s spokes-animal for many years.
“People
would meet him and think ‘Oh, poor thing,’ ” Felts said. “His response was,
‘Knock that off! I’m a dog.’ He taught people to treat animals who are
different—and people who are different—just like anyone else.”
Felts
said animals regularly outlive their estimated lifespans at Rikki’s.
“I
used to volunteer at the SPCA and people would often leave there sad, thinking,
‘Oh, I wish I could take this animal home,’ ” she said. “People always leave
Rikki’s happy because there, the animals are home.”
Ransom
ended up dedicating her book to the staff and volunteers of Rikki’s and its
founder, Kerry Hilliard.
Busey
has been volunteering at the sanctuary for four years and now serves on the
board and is in charge of social media and tours of the property.
“You
can’t work or volunteer there and not fall in love,” she said. “I think Rikki’s
is magical. Any time I can share the love, I do it.”
BOOK
SIGNING CELEBRATION!
March
24 from 10 am - 2 pm
Author
Candice Ransom and Kerry Hilliard will be there to sign your copy of Peepers'
book !!!
So
will Opie and Obie for Meet and Greet and Eat .... be sure to bring treats
!!!!
We'll
be kicking off Cats vs Dogs .... so
come on in and cast YOUR vote !!!
The
Book Signing and Celebration will be at our Thrift Store. AND everything in the store will discounted
33% ..... and you just bring me 10 cans
of cat food (or more) and you get another 20% off !!!! That's right, you just tell 'em Opie said
so. Really truly, it's all
approved. 20% any day all day every
purchase when you donate 10 cans or more of cat food !!!!
Clouds
over Bovine Boulevard
photo compliments of Doug Deal
Clouds
over Rikki's
photo compliments of Doug Deal
South
past Doggy Downs and over looking eastern Piggy Paradise
photo compliments of Doug Deal
The
9th Life Assisted Living, Retirement and Psychiatric Building
photo compliments of Doug Deal
North
past the Office Trailers towards Rainbow Bridge Cemetery
photo compliments of Doug Deal
Ya
all be sure to come on out for Donation Drop off TOMORROW .... Caturday ....
noon till 2 pm .... gates will be open at the Life Center .... 21410 Constitution Hwy, Rapidan .... That's at the corner of rt 20 and
Quarterhorse Ln .... turn onto
Quarterhorse and immediately left into our gate !!!
And
remember ... NEXT CATURDAY .... we start the fence painting .... so be there from
9 till 4 and help us make Rikki's bright and beautiful !!!
And
here's the other fun things coming up !!!
Save
the Date and Sign The Kids Up Early!
Space
is VERY limited, RSVP now Events@RikkisRefuge.org
photo compliments of Lolly Busey
Get
up close and personal with our amazing residents at Rikki's Refuge! For tour
information and upcoming available dates, email us at Tours@RikkisRefuge.org You must have reservations!
Love,
Opie
Thank
YOU for making it all possible !
