Where the Wild Things Are

Stories 17 Jun 2013 Mar Yvette

A two-toed sloth named Lola, a few prickly yet totally zenned out porcupines, feisty four-pound foxes, and the most adorable merry-making monkeys who just happen to have a penchant for umm, golden showers. Oh yes, it’s just another day at the Wildlife Learning Center in Sylmar.

This hidden haven is just 30 minutes from Downtown LA, but feels a world away once you walk through its gates and meet all the fabulous creatures who call it home. The place was opened about 15 years ago by biologists/ecologists/animal lovers David Rihern and Paul Hahn back when Sylmar wasn’t such a residential area. The space itself is located on an old olive grove, so there are lots of beautiful trees lining the main path and the entire square footage is pretty small, so you won’t break a sweat. (Unless one of the lynxes gets loose. Not that that’s ever happened.)

There are more than 50 species to see, including Dakota the bald eagle (you know it costs $14,000 a year just to feed one bald eagle?!! they have two!), a family of porcupines (they are just the cutest and so chill — you will fall in love!), Lola the two-toed sloth (the slowest mammal on the planet), Boomer the lynx who is simply majestic (and purrs like a giant pussycat), and the ridiculously cute Kingston, who, like his fellow monkey pals, engages in what is called a urine wash — they pee in their hands and rub it all over themselves! It’s a way of identifying themselves, so let it be a stinky reminder that all of these wild animals, no matter how cute as they are, SHOULD NEVER be owned as pets.

I highly recommend you check out the Wildlife Learning Center — they need all the donations they can get and all the money goes back to caring for the animals. It’s open 7 days a week and costs just $7 to get in. They even do birthday parties!

You can click here to watch the live TV segments.