The duo from Wildlife Encounters brought out the red kangaroo to show the Camp Munroe campers gathered at the Munroe-Meyer Institute gym.
The red title sure stood out because this little kangaroo was clearly gray.
So presenter Jillian Lenz settled that question quickly by telling the group that only males have red fur. This Camp Munroe guest was female. "You want to hear something silly — she’s not going to turn red," Lenz said.
The kangaroo was just one highlight during the Wildlife Encounters session held July 21, and the session was just one highlight for MMI’s signature summer event for youths with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
This summer, Camp Munroe is marking its 40th year, welcoming thousands of participants over that time.
The six-week program runs from mid-June through July and serves children and youth ages 3 through 21. MMI is hosting about 250 campers this summer alone.
"We have kids who've been coming to Camp Munroe since they were three years old, and every summer this is what they most look forward to," said Nicole Giron, MMI’s director of recreational therapy.
"This amazing program — it is our flagship program here, and we're so grateful to the Hattie B. Munroe Foundation for starting the program," Giron said.
"For the kids and the families, it is their safe haven to come every summer," she said. "It's a place where they just get to be themselves and for them to experience new things like Wildlife Encounters."
The Wildlife Encounters organization has presented its animal encounters at Camp Munroe for more than 10 years.
This year, the handlers showed animals that included an armadillo, a legless lizard that looked an awful lot like a snake and an African parrot named Gracie.
Then out came the American alligator — not the hulking swamp monster, but a small, hand-holdable gator (with its mouth taped shut nonetheless). Campers greeted it with an audible "Ooooooh" and got to pet the alligator as handler Cassie Albino brought it around.
The small, furry kinkajou got a similar reaction from the crowd: "Awwwww."
Omaha may have a world-class zoo, Giron said, but there’s something special when Camp Munroe participants get an up-close and personal experience with a direct lesson about the animals and conservation.
"It's just really neat to see their interactions with everyone," Giron said, "and it is a beloved favorite every summer."