LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – During record-breaking triple-degree heat, the animals are as happy as a pig in mud, but that’s probably because some are pigs.
Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is doing its part to keep the over 200 rescued and surrendered animals who live on their property cool with misters, frozen fruit, repurposed water bottles, and mud pits.
“We have a little bit of everybody here,” Jennifer Langford, the director at Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary, said.
Ostriches, emus, pigs, Sulcata African tortoises, and a substantial number of exotic birds are cared for by Langford and the sanctuary staff, and volunteers are welcome.
“I always encourage more to come,” she said. “You can clean up with the goats give them some love as you clean up, help us with our grounds, help us make you know chop the bird food.”
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Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is doing their part to keep the over 200 rescued and surrendered animals who live on their property cool with misters, frozen fruit, repurposed water bottles, and mud pits. (KLAS) -
Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is doing their part to keep the over 200 rescued and surrendered animals who live on their property cool with misters, frozen fruit, repurposed water bottles, and mud pits. (KLAS) -
Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is doing their part to keep the over 200 rescued and surrendered animals who live on their property cool with misters, frozen fruit, repurposed water bottles, and mud pits. (KLAS) -
Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is doing their part to keep the over 200 rescued and surrendered animals who live on their property cool with misters, frozen fruit, repurposed water bottles, and mud pits. (KLAS) -
Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is doing their part to keep the over 200 rescued and surrendered animals who live on their property cool with misters, frozen fruit, repurposed water bottles, and mud pits. (KLAS) -
Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary is doing their part to keep the over 200 rescued and surrendered animals who live on their property cool with misters, frozen fruit, repurposed water bottles, and mud pits. (KLAS)
Equipment is just as important as manpower according to Langford who showed 8 News Now the wide array of misters and shade covers that blanket the property.
“A lot of the [exotic birds] like to play in those misters,” she said. “For the pigs and goats, we save two-liter frozen bottles and place them with their water.”
8 News Now asked Langford which species of animals at the sanctuary handle the Las Vegas heat the best.
“I would say the chickens, the poultry seem to do a little bit better than the others,” she said. “Our exotics are a little bit more sensitive to the heat even though they are from some extreme weather.”
The property also offers guests picnic areas, an outdoor amphitheater, a duck pond, and a gift shop with a foul-mouthed African Gray Timneh named Naz.
Andrew the ostrich
Sitting in his pen Andrew the ostrich peered at Langford waving lettuce, but he didn’t leave his shaded spot and instead continued to bask in mist from a nearby hose.
The property around Andrew has changed quite a bit in the last 10 years according to Langford who noted the improvements.
“The last 11 months we’ve been working really hard,” she said. “Making the place a lot brighter with new paint and removing things that maybe weren’t as sightly as they should be.”
Langford said a guest, whose last visit was 10 years ago, called her to express his amazement at how the property has changed.
Improvements don’t happen overnight according to Langford, and she noted how the community can help the property’s tropical tenants.
“We can always use empty two-liter water bottles or soda bottles,” she said. “We love it when we get watermelons, that’s a good little way for our animals to cool off.”
Even Andrew enjoys watermelon, but guests might need to wait to feed him until he finishes swishing his feathers around the water hose.
Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary accepts donations for the animals from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.
