12 | EXPLORE WINTER 2023 Amid the bustle of University Circle, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History contains a surprising slice of nature. One of the Museum’s most popular attractions, the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank features 22 outdoor exhibit spaces housing a variety of native Ohio wildlife. Visitors to Perkins can observe the activities and habitats of 94 animals representing 35 species—from the smallest (a quarter-pound blue jay) to the largest (a male coyote weighing 45 pounds). By seeing these animals up close, visitors can engage with the natural world in safe, fun, and educational ways. Museum guests often wonder where these animal ambassadors come from, and how the Wildlife team chooses which species and individuals to care for. When the newly reimagined Perkins opened in 2016, under the leadership of then–Director of Wildlife Resources Harvey Webster, it was designed with the specific needs of Ohio- native wildlife in mind. Since then, the Museum has maintained an institutional animal-collection plan—a formal, comprehensive guide that identifies the optimum number of animals and species for a given habitat and for the wildlife center as a whole. The plan takes important considerations into account, including educational and exhibit value, care requirements, staff expertise, and ease of acquisition. It is intended to be flexible, with the ability to accommodate immediate changes if necessary. Perkins acquires new residents when space and animals become available. Any new species is considered on a case-by-case basis and must fit into the parameters of the collection plan. For example, when Hobbes, one of the Museum’s three male North American river otters, passed away last spring, current Director of Wildlife Jim Nemet moved quickly to locate a compatible exhibit mate for Calvin and Linus, the remaining otter pair. Nemet regularly reviews sources and lists of available animals provided by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources; local, state, and national animal rehabilitators; and other wildlife centers and zoos. While a single male otter wasn’t readily available, Nemet found a pair—Atticus and Emmett—that had been rescued from the fur trade in Louisiana and relocated to an Ohio rehabilitation center. The otters needed a permanent home, and Nemet believed the duo would likely get along with Calvin and Linus. Moreover, the Museum’s otter exhibit could accommodate two additions. In May, Atticus and Emmett arrived in Perkins and slowly began acclimating to their new environment. “The minute we decided to acquire two younger North American river otters, the planning began,” Nemet says. Acclimating animals to a new space—and to other animals already in the exhibit—is a careful, deliberate process. The Wildlife team prepares a written step-bystep plan for animal introductions that includes time together as well as time apart. Before Atticus and Emmett were introduced to their outdoor exhibit, they spent a routine 30-day quarantine in their night quarters, where Wildlife At Home in Perkins An Inside Look at Introducing Animals to the Museum Two of the Museum's otter ambassadors
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