LUBBOCK, Texas -
Animals were on parade -- metaphorically speaking -- Saturday, allowing students to get hands-on with not only learning about the creatures, but interacting with and even helping them.
The Ranching Heritage Center hosted "Quailapalooza," an interactive learning environment for kids to learn about the northern bobwhite quail. They were able to see and hold live adult quail and chicks, see the nests and eggs, learn about the birds' diet, how scientists capture them, and their predators.
"Quail are one of the species that hunters enjoy," the RHC's Julie Hodges said, "but also birdwatchers and other enthusiasts. They also tie into the habitat in the grasslands, which are -- of course -- a big part of ranching as well."
Hodges said that relates to the center's main mission of educating about modern issues facing ranchers, including wildlife conservation.
At the ASPCA's "Help a Horse Day" fundraiser, students were able to celebrate them while helping them. Lubbock's Easy R Equine Rescue has been trying to win up to a $25 thousand grant from the ASPCA to help fund the business's efforts to protect horses.
"Right now, we have 17 rescue horses at Easy R," Angie Alspaugh said, "and that's a costly endeavor on a monthly basis, to feed them and make sure they're vaccinated, they see a dentist and the ferrier, all that entails. Every penny goes directly to the care of our horses."
The grant is part of the ASPCA's 150th anniversary. In a press release, the ASPCA wrote horses have been central to the group's work since its founding, when Henry Bergh stopped a cart driver from beating his horse. That led to the first successful arrest for the mistreatment of a horse, in 1866.
