Pancho, the eight-year-old, black and white tuxedo llama grazes in the shade by his flock of sheep. He’s in charge of protecting the herd by kicking or biting potential predators.
Sophia Gaitan is a third-year animal health science major and one of Pancho’s caretakers. She says he’s sassy and has an attitude like a cat. The only way to get him to come up to someone is by bribing him with food.
“He’s a little bit shy right now because we just sheered him. He wasn’t happy about that,” Gaitan said.
Dayna Gerardo is a fourth-year animal health science major in charge of feeding Pancho and has been with him since the first day he came on campus. She said he’s not timid about going up to people with food, but will shy away if people try to pet him.
“He’s curious and sassy but not aggressive with people,” Gerardo said.
Students can catch a quick glimpse of him and his flocks of sheep near the new parking structure right before the cross section of Temple Avenue and South University Drive.
Monte is a chestnut stallion and the oldest resident of the Arabian Horse Center. He’s the face of the Equestrian Show Team. Nicole Berbiglia is the captain of the hunt seat show for the team, which is a type of English riding. She said Monte loves his food and loves to jump. Berbiglia said he’s in his late teens which is around middle ages for human years.
“He’s at all the shows and all the events and everybody loves him,” Berbiglia said.
Students can visit him and the other horses on self-guided tours seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The ponds by the dorms are known for housing ducks, fish and turtles. First-year aerospace engineering major Sarah Saltikob and her friends Samantha Stanley (first-year general bio major) and Sarah Regle (first-year mechanical engineering major) said they’ve named the white duck Gertrude.
“They’re [the ducks] fun to look at,” Saltikob said. “Gertrude, she’s great.”
“It makes the day nicer to check them out after class and it helps us relieve stress; I always want to pet them, but I get too scared,” Stanley said.
The Rainforest Learning Center located next to Building 2 houses tropical plants from all over the world and two new caimans. Caimans are Central and South American reptiles related to alligators. Students are welcome to walk in and check them out and the other species of reptiles like the skink and iguana, whenever the center doors are open.
