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Live snakes, bats and a desert tortoise named Shelly - these animals will slither, fly and crawl their way around the California Museum on Saturday, April 25.
Inspired by Earth Month and Earth Day, Family Fun Day will have the theme "California's Critters and Crawlers."
From 10 a.m.-3 p.m., families and individuals will be able to enter the museum for free and view any of the regular exhibits as well as build crafts, learn about animals and view some endangered and threatened species. The goal is "to learn more about California's natural diversity," said Ashley Robinson, the museum's communications manager.
Emceeing the event will be Francie Dillon, a children's entertainer who will be singing and dancing as well. Interactive booths manned by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cosumnes River Preserve and Save Our Sandhill Cranes will be displaying things to touch, smell and play with, Robinson said.
Isabella Powers, a local, ten-year-old animal enthusiast, fifth grader, and host of Isabella's Animal Show on the Access Sacramento channel, expressed her interest in the Family Fun Day. "Of course I would want to go to the museum - because there are animals," she said.
In addition to learning about these endangered and threatened animals, "hopefully [visitors] can learn ways to protect these animals. There are simple things we can do to help get them off the [threatened and endangered] list," said Shelly Atkinson, the museum's education and programs manager.
The desert tortoise, California’s official reptile, has been on the Federal Threatened and Endangered Species List since 1980, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Department of Fish and Game will be displaying Shelly, the tortoise, all day.
Live bats will also be displayed, thanks to a woman from NorCalBats, an organization "dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of bats throughout Northern California," according to their website.
"They are not endangered or threatened, but they are considered an animal of concern,” Atkinson said. “Here's an animal that some people may not think is cute and cuddly, but they play an important role in the ecosystem, and without them, bad things can happen."
To round out the lineup of animals, Sacramento Zoo will arrive at 1 p.m. with a red tail hawk, a gopher snake and another desert tortoise.
Atkinson stressed that everything is free - parking, museum admittance, arts and crafts and entertainment. "It's a great way for families to have a great time together learning about California and its animals. The rest of the museum is also open for free," she said.
"You get to learn more about animals seeing them in real life" said Powers, who has one mole, one dog, two Bombay cats, five tree frogs and 11 hamsters.
Powers added, "I also want to say about polar bears: stop global warming. Global warming is melting the ice, and polar bears don't have a place or home [to swim to] so they just keep swimming."
The museum is located at 1020 O Street, on the corner of 10th and O Streets.

