{"id":134139,"date":"2026-07-29T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=134139"},"modified":"2026-07-28T15:15:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T20:15:17","slug":"camp-munroe-veterans-return-for-wildlife-encounters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/07\/29\/camp-munroe-veterans-return-for-wildlife-encounters\/","title":{"rendered":"Camp Munroe veterans return for &#8216;Wildlife Encounters&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"panel body-content\"><div class=\"panel__container\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Munroe-Meyer Institute staff member Noah Zeitner, July 15 was far from his first \u201cWildlife Encounter\u201d at Camp Munroe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zeitner, an adaptive therapy specialist in the MMI Department of Recreational Therapy, recently returned to MMI full-time after working as a teacher. But before that, he\u2019d been both a volunteer and a part-time staff member for Camp Munroe, MMI\u2019s summer camp for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifePython-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"As a counselor looks on from the right, a camper in a blue Dodgers shirt grins while a python is draped across his shoulders and hte back of his neck.\" class=\"wp-image-134157\" style=\"width:471px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifePython-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifePython-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifePython-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifePython-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifePython-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifePython-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>A camper grins as Gary, the ball python, is draped over his shoulders.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dressed in a colorful shirt, he looked on as Kip Smith of Wildlife Encounters of Nebraska displayed various animals to a cheering, and sometimes wary, audience of MMI campers, volunteers and staff members. Smith himself has been doing the Wildlife Encounters presentation at Camp Munroe for longer than he can remember, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sprinkling animal facts into his discussion of the various non-human guests, Smith let excited campers pet a baby kangaroo, feel the scales of an alligator, hold a python and stroke the fur of a fennec fox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He even put a tarantula on a few brave heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is one of the most engaging entertainments that we bring in,\u201d Zeitner said. \u201cIt is fun, because you never know exactly what animal he&#8217;s going to pop out from behind the wall with. It&#8217;s always nice to see something like the snake &#8212; you&#8217;re not going to see that just wandering around Nebraska. And the kids, just seeing the looks on their faces every time he brings out a different animal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During his presentation, Smith asked his crowd:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShould I do a cute one or a scary one next?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cScary one!\u201d was the shouted response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when Smith popped back out from behind a backdrop with Charlotte, a tarantula, only a few brave campers and staff allowed him to place her gently on their heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finn, a big-eared fennec fox, and Meatball, an armadillo, received many pets as Smith moved about the MMI gymnasium, holding the animals and instructing campers on the best way to gently pet them.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeAlligator-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Kip Smith holds Tripod, a three-legged baby alligator, while smiling, seated campers reach forward to pet his body and tail.\" class=\"wp-image-134155\" style=\"width:409px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeAlligator-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeAlligator-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeAlligator-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeAlligator-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeAlligator-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeAlligator-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Camp Munroe veteran Tripod the alligator, a perennial favorite, returned to Camp Munroe in July, as well<\/strong>. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the stars of the show were Ella, a baby kangaroo, and Tripod, a three-legged alligator who, Smith said, has been coming to Camp Munroe for at least a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tripod, Smith admits, is his own personal favorite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe&#8217;s been with us for so long,\u201d he said. \u201cEverywhere we go, kids recognize him, they know him. Now we&#8217;re starting to see people who have gotten into like veterinary careers, who tell us, \u2018Tripod came to my school in sixth grade.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Camp Munroe also is one of Smith\u2019s favorites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe kids here are always fantastic,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are eager to learn about and meet the animals. Just to see their faces &#8230; it was constant laughing, just pure enjoyment. So, it&#8217;s a really fun group to come out to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith seemed especially impressed by camper Jahmir Blankman, who sat at the front, asked questions, and almost matched Smith animal fact for animal fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe knew his stuff,\u201d Smith said. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ironically, it was a desire to avoid animals that first brought Zeitner to MMI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy mom told me that I had to either walk dogs at the Humane Society or spend a week volunteering at a summer camp,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd after the first day at Camp Munroe, I went home and said, &#8220;I can do more than a week, right?\u2019 From there, I volunteered and was a part timer. Figuring out what direction I wanted to work in within the special needs community helped me, first with teaching, and then, when a full-time position opened back up here, it brought me back home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeTarantula3-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Kip Smith, left, displays a tarantula in his hand to camper Jahmir Blankman, seated at right in a blue Nike shirt and glasses. Blankman is reaching tentatively out toward the tarantula, but not touching it. \" class=\"wp-image-134147\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeTarantula3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeTarantula3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeTarantula3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeTarantula3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeTarantula3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WildlifeTarantula3-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Camper Jahmir Blankman, at right, impressed the Wildlife Encounters presenters with his knowledge of animals, but even he was a little wary of Charlotte the tarantula.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"\/secure-location.php\" style=\"display: none;\" title=\"ocd tEyWwBGiTAIqv Doqo XPL  \"><\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The visit by the Nebraska nonprofit is always a highlight for MMI summer campers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":134142,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"48065,31675,29985,49191,65456,104503","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-outreach","department-munroe-meyer-institute","department-unmc-today-todays-headlines","author_override-john-keenan-unmc-strategic-communications"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin 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