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She’s a Keeper: Shell Factory Nature Park director responsible for close to 400 animals

By MEGHAN BRADBURY -
Shelldon, a baby sloth who just celebrated his first birthday at the Shell Factory & Nature Park, enjoys a bite of sweet potato shared by Nature Park Director Karen Schneider. Shelldon was born at the park to parents Syd and Sylvia. VALARIE HARRING
Grim, a prehensile tail porcupine who lives with Greta, another rescue, takes his sweet potato treat gently from Nature Park Director Karen Schneider. Greta, who came to the park from another facility, arrived injured and is a little shier. Prehensile tail porcupines use their tails to climb. VALARIE HARRING
Nature Park Director Karen Schneider smiles as Grim, a prehensile tail porcupine, enjoys a sweet potato treat. The Shell Factory Nature Park director is responsible for close to 400 animals at the Nature Park.
Nature Park Director Karen Schneider shows a blue tongue skink to Sawyer Dute, 10, as brother Riley, 8, waits for a turn to pet the reptile and mom Meghan looks on. The family was visiting the Nature Park from Marcy, New York.
Shelldon, a baby sloth who just celebrated his first birthday at the Shell Factory & Nature Park, enjoys a bite of sweet potato.
Shelldon, a baby sloth who just celebrated his first birthday at the Shell Factory & Nature Park, enjoys a bite of sweet potato.
Grim, a prehensile tail porcupine, is one of the many rescued animals found at the Shell Factory & Nature park. Here, Grim's enjoying a piece of sweet potato.
Grim, a prehensile tail porcupine, is one of the many rescued animals found at the Shell Factory & Nature park.
Nature Park Director Karen Schneider with an African grey parrot, a bird she raised and then donated to the park where he lives with other parrots and birds. Many of the birds, and other animals, are rescues or donations that then are cared for in specialized habitats. In the foreground is a blue crown pigeon.
Nature Park Director Karen Schneider with a sulcata, or African spurred tortoise. Many of the Nature Park's habitats are getting a facelift this spring.
Nature Park Director Karen Schneider at the entrance to the Nature Park at the Shell Factory in North Fort Myers.
The Nature Park at the Shell Factory has a variety of animals, including life-size replicas visitors may pose with. Nature Park Karen Schneider takes a moment with one of the favorite creatures to pose with at the park.
The Nature Park at the Shell Factory offers both tropical and native plantings, including butterfly gardens.
The Nature Park offers and array of things to see and do.

Karen Schneider walked into the Shell Factory Nature Park more than a decade ago and never left.

Before the economy changed in 2008, the Shell Factory Nature Park director worked for a wholesale tree nursery that, before it closed, sold to new construction projects.

“Upon the tree nursery closing, a friend of mine was visiting the Nature Park and heard they were looking for help in the Petting Farm and called me to come meet with the director at the time being I did have some animal experience from my younger years,” she said.

When in her 20s, she worked with reptiles and a few rescues.

“I purposely got out of it and went to the tree nursery (business) because it is so demanding, exhausting and worrisome, especially with hurricane season and cold weather. It can be a little stressful. I found out trees are a little bit easier. They stay where you put them,” she said, laughing.

Schneider first worked as a keeper in all departments of the Nature Park for two and a half years. When the director moved, owners Tom and Pam Cronin asked if she should would like to take over the director job.

“I was hesitant at first and felt they should hire someone ‘experienced.’ They assured me what the park needed was someone who had firsthand worked all aspects of the park. After that, little by little, I started getting calls about homing people’s exotics that they could no longer keep, especially parrots. We slowly became a sanctuary of unwanted, or displaced pets and still get calls almost daily,” Schneider said. “So with that I am still very much a keeper as well as director, a hard habit to break when working with animals. They always are in need of something. And after all these years, it’s a family. The people and the animals.”

As the director, Schneider is responsible for the overall well-being of park staff and the animals. The tasks run from monthly feed orders to weekly produce orders, as well as keeping the Nature Park’s license up-to-date. In addition, she is responsible for scheduling vet appointments as needed and overseeing the reconstruction of habitats and park repairs.

She also handles the animal donations that come in and assists individuals find forever homes for the animals that cannot be placed at the park.

Schneider enjoys working as the Nature Park director because of the animals.

“They don’t have a choice to be here. Most have nowhere else to go. When they are happy and when the kids get excited to see them, you can’t help but bring a smile,” she said.

Schneider said she has remained all of these years because “you fall in love with it.”

“Tom and Pam Cronin have always been good to me. You do it for the critters that are here. You feel an obligation,” she said, adding that it is definitely cool working around some of the animals they have.

The Nature Park houses close to 400 animals, which keeps the staff of eight busy feeding, making sure they have water, clean housing, as well as overall wellness checks. The dietician arrives between 7:30 to 8 a.m. every day to start taking care of the animals, while the rest of the staff comes in between 8 and 9 a.m., depending on what is on the agenda. Their day concludes anywhere from 5:30 to 6 p.m.

“It keeps you busy. It’s about the animals that don’t have a choice, a voice. Most of them were someone’s mistake. A lot of these animals are not meant to be pets,” Schneider said of the zoo component of the nature park which has not only animals to see or even interact with, but pathways, a playground and even an old Florida style dinosaur “habitat” with towering replicas.

For example, a porcupine can grow to the size of a medium pet which likes to dig and chew.

Other animals, such as a parrot or Macaw, live anywhere from 80 to 90 years.

She said if someone who is 40-50 years old buys one as a baby bird, they are not giving it any justice because that bird will outlive them.

In addition, some of the exotics at the Nature Park were ordered by other zoos and then, for whatever reason, rejected. Schneider said the animals cannot be sent back and that is when the Nature Parks gets a call.

With that said, Schneider said many of those who have owned one of the animals donated stop by and visit the Nature Park and “their” animal.

“They help us out and bring some treats, or produce, or bird seed. We jokingly say they eat better than we do,” she said of the Nature Park’s “residents.”

The collection of animals runs the gamut from a zebra, two prehensile-tailed porcupines and a family of sloths — including a year-old-baby born there — to a variety of birds, turtles and alligators.

Schneider said her favorite animal is the female prehensile-tailed porcupine, Greta, because of its little oddities. The porcupines have cute little faces and are tree dwellers, sometimes using their tail as an extra limb if needing to hang.

“They have really big noses and tiny little eyes. They are very cute,” she said.

Greta was imported, but had an injury to her forelimb, which made her unacceptable to the other facility.

“So we were given the opportunity to take her as no other place was interested,” Schneider said. “Sadly, we had to have the arm amputated, but she has adjusted and is now living a stress and pain-free life.”

Greta, and her habitat-mate Grim, also from another facility, especially love a treat of sweet potatoes.

Caring for animals can be challenging during hurricane season and during the winter when Southwest Florida has cold snaps.

Schneider keeps an eye on the weather during hurricane season, as a lot depends on the projected path because you do not want to jump the gun and get all the animals caged up if not necessary. By storing all kinds of cages and kennels, the animals have a place to go. They are locked inside a secure building, and sometimes go to people’s homes to make sure they are safe.

“Thankfully, we never got a full blunt hit. Irma was enough to cause minimal damage, but everyone came out OK,” Schneider said.

As far as the cold snaps, the majority of the enclosures have heat lamps, as many of the animals come from warmer climates. Space heaters can be used and tarps can be put over enclosures, and the animals, such parrots, can be brought inside. The animals are locked down until the weather turns nice.

“They are Floridians like us,” Schneider joked.

With the enclosures starting to age out, there are improvements under way for new buildings and habitats, one of which will be a little baby gator beach in the near future.

“We have a lot of ideas and plans; it’s just getting from point A to point B,” she said.

The Nature Park is privately owned and they rely on guests, ticket sales and donations to keep it going. They also receive some funds from their charity, a 501c3, meaning donations are tax deductible.

“It does get pricey feeding everybody,” Schneider said.

Although COVID has changed such things as animal presentations, Schneider is hopeful that by next season, the close encounter presentations will take place again. Meanwhile, if the animal keepers are present as families stroll the park, they do provide information and stories about the animals to guests.

“They will talk and answer questions and let them know about the animals, their story. They all seem to have a story,” she said.

In addition, there also is a petting farm where people can see a zebra, goat and alpaca.

The Nature Park is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week, weather permitting. Although it is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas, Schneider said there are typically four or five people working to take care of the animals.

“We are not a zoo, we are a park. It is geared to the little kids, pre-teens and unders. We seem to be really good with the itty bitty’s. We don’t have the lions and tigers, but we have the oddities. Things not everyone sees, or knows existed,” Schneider said. “We pride ourselves on that. It’s been a lot of fun.”

The Shell Factory & Nature Park is at 16554 North Cleveland Ave., North Fort Myers. For more information, visit www.shellfactory.com.