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ASHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT The birdman of Bellview World renowned bird-handler returns to school, animals in tow Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Feb. 23, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Feb 23, 2015 at 6:42 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Feb. 23, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Feb 23, 2015 at 6:42 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Hail to the queen • Wildlife Rescuer Joe Krathwohl » Social News Face contorted, eyes bulging, a curly-haired girl sitting in the front row leaned back as far as she could, but not quite far enough to feel safe, so she traded places with a classmate about 10 rows back. Others squirmed and gasped but held their ground as Joe Krathwohl, otherwise known as “The Birdman of Vegas,” explained why the false water cobra slithering all over his left arm needed to be handled with extreme caution, especially for those like Krathwohl who are allergic to the reptile’s venom. Krathwohl took his traveling free-flight bird show to the Newswatch 12 Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but before that the world-renowned animal handler, who has appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show," stopped by Bellview Elementary School in Ashland on Friday morning to show about 50 fourth-graders a few of his most spectacular animal friends. Krathwohl was making his second stop in as many years to Bellview after the school was awarded a visit by winning a contest last year. The famed trainer who performed at the Tropicana Resort in Las Vegas for 15 years contacted the school about a month ago to let them know he’d be back in the area for the Sportsmen’s show and could stop by again, if they would have him. Bellview science coordinator Ginny Sagal said they would — fourth-graders there are currently studying bird adaptations as part of a unit study — and on Friday another group of Ashland elementary students were screaming in wonder or terror or both as Krathwohl patiently explained, over a constant shroud of commotion, the science behind each animals’ idiosyncrasies. On Friday, Krathwohl brought three animals to show the students, who gasped as each was removed from their storage containers: the snake, which is actually not related to a cobra, a Goliath bird-eating spider and a bateleur eagle. The snake was up first, and the students’ reaction as Krathwohl lifted it out of a bucket unofficially measured about 3.2 on the Richter scale. As someone who started performing with animals in San Francisco at age 16, Krathwohl has experienced similar reactions about a million times before and was unfazed, ticking off facts with a relaxed smile as he calmly handled a snake that could send him to the hospital with a single primordial snap. Krathwohl’s beady-eyed co-star did its part, even flaring its neck on cue — a visualization of its namesake. “You will notice that I handle these guys very, very carefully,” Krathwohl said as he removed the lid to the bucket. “I’ve had a lot of practice and I’ve had this snake for about 12 years now so I know him really well and that’s why I feel comfortable handling him out here with no gloves or anything like that.” Later, Krathwohl placed the false cobra on a table and began stroking its head to stimulate the flare-out reaction. Bingo. “There we go,” he said as the snake’s head appeared to flatten out, “that’s pretty good. Now, it’s OK if you guys come forward a little bit in order to be able to see this.” The children cautiously shuffled toward the table and made a semi-circle around the brown-green reptile, which didn’t seem to mind until an abrupt banging sound a few feet away caught Krathwohl's attention. “Don’t bang on the ground, OK,” he said. “The snake feels all these vibrations.” Next, Krathwohl introduced the class to the spider which, as he explained, doesn’t usually, if ever, eat birds; however, one happened to be doing just that when it was first discovered by explorers. The largest spider in the world in terms of sheer mass — another has a larger leg span but is much skinnier — the Goliath can grow up to 12 inches from leg tip to leg tip and weighs about six ounces. It does produce venom, but its bite doesn’t do much damage to humans. The spider’s relative harmlessness did little to assuage the fourth-graders’ heebie-jeebies as Krathwohl walked down the center aisle with the Goliath, standing in an open plastic container, and explained how it pumps fluid through its boneless legs in order to walk. Or (gulp) run. This system is remarkably efficient, Krathwohl explained, making the Goliath agile enough to capture lizards or even mice. A video proving the latter, which mouse-fans should avoid at all costs, is available at nationalgeographic.com. The Goliath also has a secret weapon: It can rapidly shed its tiny hairs to ward off predators. This may sound harmless, but “it’s like breathing in fiberglass dust,” said Krathwohl. The eagle proved to be a worthy grand finale as Krathwohl, protected by a special glove on his left arm, carefully lifted Sheeba out of its crate and held the majestic, Tanzania-born bird up for all to see. Ooohs and aaahs followed. With a thick dome of black feathers for a head, Sheeba’s tiny red, rooster-like face appeared to be peaking out of a dark hole. “It’s awesome,” a boy shouted. And it was, especially when Krathwohl lifted his arm to shoulder level, prompting Sheeba to show off her 5-foot, 3-inch wingspan. “She came to the United States when she was only six months old and she has been in captivity here and doing programs ever since,” Krathwohl said. Sagal said Krathwohl’s appearance was a huge win for the school. She hopes it won’t be the last. “For him to come, it’s wonderful, especially because our next unit with the fourth-graders is adaptations,” she said. “It’s all really tied in and I thought this is wonderful because the students have the opportunity to see these birds and learn how each bird beak adapts to their environment, the food they eat, where they live. It all became a nice full-circle with them. I always love it if I can get people to come in, or they can go on field trips, because we do a lot hands-on experiments but to have someone like him come, it just means a lot more to them. “He is wonderful with the kids and that’s why I’m so happy that they got in touch with us and asked. Hopefully, this will be a yearly thing.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-776-4469 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Feb. 23, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Feb 23, 2015 at 6:42 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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