Sparks' Ark

08/25/2026

There is another busy summer in the books! In the last 10 weeks I did 110 animal shows and drove just over 9000 miles. Plus bats and skunks and woodchucks and…. Summer is fun but it’s nice to take a breath at the end! Taking a few days completely off and then it’s time for the still busy but not so hectic fall schedule! Thank you to everyone that invited the animals and I to your summer school, daycare, birthday, library…I even did a bachelor/bachelorette party!

08/07/2026

Today after my animal shows I went to check on scratching in a chimney. Red Bellied woodpecker. Other than a little dirty was fine and released to see another day!

08/02/2026

New to the zoo today. 4 leopard geckos. One of them actually loves to be held so she may start traveling!

08/01/2026

Removed a bat from a fireplace today. Coming into the time of year where this years young are exploring and making their way into living spaces/usually by accident. I don’t think you can completely bat proof a house but some good things to check:

If you have a fireplace, make sure the damper is shut tight! They can fit through a gap a pencil fits in.
Make sure flapper valves on exhaust vents are working.
Make sure air conditioners do not have any gaps around them.
Check all screens in the house for any tears.

Bat was put outside where it belongs unharmed

07/23/2026

Had to move a skunk today that someone caught in their own trap. Just a reminder-it’s illegal for a homeowner to set a trap for any animal. If you have a trapping license you can trap during the regular trapping season. Out of season you also must be a licensed ADC agent. This is just one of the many reasons. People set a trap for a woodchuck and catch a skunk and then don’t know what to do. Or they catch a raccoon in move it and then babies come crawling out looking for mom. I don’t do a lot of trapping in summer because I don’t want to orphan babies and am busy with outreach but do a lot the rest of the year.

EDIT: I did not make this post to debate people but to inform. I’m licensed by IFW. I’m required to know wildlife laws. We have meetings to discuss rule and law changes. I’m not just guessing or making it up. Just call IFW if you disagree.

07/19/2026

We had strawberry shortcake for dessert tonight, so spoiled the gliders with a dab of whipped cream with the fruit.

07/11/2026

So far this week we have visited Bath, Westbrook, Oxford, Orr’s Island, Gardiner, S**o, Benton, Wayne, Freeport, Augusta, New Gloucester, Falmouth and Bangor. 990 miles and well over 1000 people. Today I just have 1 program in Weld(3 hr round trip) and the animals will have this afternoon and tomorrow off. I’ll be catching up on cleaning and trapping a couple nuisance woodchucks in the 36 hour break! Have a great weekend everyone.

07/03/2026

Happy holiday everyone! Here’s how I started mine. Animal show for the holiday in Bath this morning. Then assisted living home in Westbrook. From there I headed to Turner to rescue a skunk that got itself stuck crawling through a hole in a barn floor. There are some situations where I just can’t avoid being sprayed. This was one of those. I put a blanket over the business end to keep the worst of it contained but she sprayed me enough that my hands were slipping off her feet! 🦶 only time I’ve been close enough to tell nursing female so after being freed I released her on site to get back to those babies! Now I’m just burning everything before hitting the shower. Good thing my wife is out of town for a couple days.

06/26/2026

Rain seems to have dried up and the sun is peaking out. Great afternoon for a trip to the Monmouth fair! If you’ve never been, it’s a fun little fair. Food, rides, animals…Sparks Ark at 3:30!

05/02/2026