Knapp patients receive furry, scaled and feathered visitors

WESLACO — Staying at a hospital is never fun. But on Tuesday, child patients at Knapp Medical Center received a visit from some four-legged and winged guests intended to cheer them up.

Representatives from Sea World San Antonio visited the hospital to introduce several creatures to patients and staff. The special guests included a baby alligator, a baby crocodile, a 10-foot python, a lemur, a bearded dragon and two Magellanic penguins.

The Sea World crew also planned to visit the University of Texas-Pan American on Tuesday evening to attend an event hosted by the university's Public Relations Student Society of America.

Sea World contacted the hospital and asked if it could make a presentation to Knapp's pediatric patients. The medical center was the only hospital in the Valley to receive a visit from representatives of the theme park during their swing through the region, hospital spokeswoman Maggie Halaby said.

Angie Schindler, an animal trainer who is part of the theme park's Animal Ambassadors program, said she and other trainers travel to hospitals, children's centers and many other locations throughout the state to educate the public about these animals and promote ecological conservation.

"The closer they get to an animal ... the more they want to protect it," Schindler said.

She and fellow trainer Robert Trejo took turns showing the animals to children and their parents at the hospital. The children also had the opportunity to pet some of them.

About half a dozen children and their parents crowded into the small visitors' room on the hospital's pediatric floor. Several hospital staff gathered outside the doorway and in the hallway, looking through the room's windows to catch a glimpse of the animals.

Children laughed when the lemur grabbed a camera held by a television crew member and shrieked when they were asked to pet the reptiles.

Ten-year-old Jose Alberto Ramirez and 12-year-old Joaquin Arguelles said they liked the python the best.

"(It was) big, heavy," said Jose, a fourth-grade student at Airport Road Elementary School in Weslaco.

Jose and Joaquin said they had only seen most of the animals on television and were excited to finally see them in person.

"I only saw a crocodile at the zoo," said Joaquin, a seventh-grade student at IDEA College Preparatory.

Jasmine Reyes said she liked petting the animals, especially the penguins.

"(They were) soft. The wings are so hard," said Jasmine, a 4-year-old Mercedes resident.

Her mother, Olivia Treviño, said her daughter loves Sea World, so it was great to have animals from the park come to the hospital.

"Every time she sees the commercial (on TV) she says, ‘I want to go there,'" Treviño said.

It seemed hospital staff members were even more excited about the animals' visit, with many of the employees pulling out cameras and snapping photos of the creatures as they entered and left the visitors' room.

Knapp president and chief executive officer James A. Summerset III said he was grateful to Sea World for bringing the animals to the hospital.

"It's never good (when you're) in the hospital. But if you have to be here, today is a pretty good day to be here," Summerset said. "I think this is what being a community hospital all is about."

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Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.