KAPAA — Jim Jung was glad he stopped to see why all the cars were parked along the Kapaa Beach Park fence Wednesday. “I didn’t know why all the people were parked there, so I stopped to see, and now,
KAPAA — Jim Jung was glad he stopped to see why all the cars were parked along the Kapaa Beach Park fence Wednesday.
“I didn’t know why all the people were parked there, so I stopped to see, and now, my granddaughters are in there,” Jung said, while peering over a fence set up in the front lawn of the Kapaa Public Library, which housed a traveling zoo.
Lani Kawahara, Kapaa Library manager, said Wong’s Traveling Petting Zoo is part of the library’s summer reading program.
Kawahara said each library has its own event to highlight summer reading programs, including the appearance of John Keawe at a Kauai library and Kenny Endo, taiko artist, at the Princeville library, later this month.
“We try to plan one big event during the summer,” Kawahara said.
The free petting zoo was open to the public. With an abundance of baby animals, the crowd quickly filled the shaded enclosure. Christy Wong kept busy talking about different animals and helping youngsters in the proper method of holding the animals.
“We had the animals at home, and we also home school our girls,” Wong said. “The girls’ friends would come over, and soon we were taking out some of the animals to birthday parties and other functions.”
The presence of the animals was contagious, as Kawahara and some of her library staff donned animal ears to celebrate the occasion.
“This is great,” Kawahara said. “The library is bustling. Look at all the people.”
Jung was one of those who, after visiting with the animals, was inside the library investigating the library’s offering of electronic books for his Amazon Kindle.
The Wong’s Traveling Petting Zoo is a family-owned business. Visit www.wongzoo.com for more information on visits or for booking details.
