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Ojai woman's animals to help educate public
A vocation in the wild
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Patty Perry feeds Juneau, an Alaskan bald eagle, a piece of venison at her Ojai ranch. Juneau will be an ambassador for her new organization, Wildlife and Environmental Conservation, Inc. At top, Isaac, a Bactrian camel, munches on hay.
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Patty Perry can't explain where her love of animals came from. "It just has always been there," Perry said. "I was born with it."
She bred Arabian horses for 30 years. During that time, she met Queen Elizabeth II and Wayne Newton. Michael Jackson kept a llama and a horse named Thriller at her Moorpark ranch at one time.
When she moved to Ojai almost eight years ago, Perry began volunteering with the Ojai Raptor Center, helping to rehabilitate and release about 1,000 birds of prey a year. There she learned about treating and working with wild animals. She also helped give educational presentations to schools and large groups using birds that couldn't be released.
Although she no longer breeds Arabians full time, Perry did bring to Ojai a menagerie that she has accumulated over the years. They include a camel, a zebra, two miniature horses and a goose.
Two more animals that she worked with at the Raptor Center recently arrived at her zoo: Juneau, an Alaskan bald eagle; and Skydancer, a golden eagle. The birds will be live ambassadors for her new organization, Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Inc.
She also plans to add a hawk and bobcat. Her objective, Perry said, is education. She will give presentations at schools and at events in the community.
Through her experiences at the Raptor Center, Perry said, she has realized the importance of environmental conservation, how it relates to animals, the circle of life and how it affects everyone.
"My passion is the animals," Perry said. "I think we are just led to do certain things in life, and this is what God said I'm doing ... so do it."
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