From bleating baby goats, to hissing cockroaches to bathing chinchillas, a menagerie of animals visited the Taber Library lawn Friday, Sept. 23. 

The wild event was provided by staff from Pine Meadow Alpacas in Mattapoisett, who brought some of their animals to introduce youngsters to a variety of animals during an afternoon activity.

Having a chance to learn about and then interact with the animals always draws a crowd, library director Elizabeth Sherry said. 

“The kids love it,’’ she said.

Children learned some interesting facts about the animals. Chinchillas, for example, love to take baths. The animals use dust or sand to keep themselves clean and healthy. The chinchilla that visited the library enjoyed his bath in a covered container.

And hissing cockroaches, which drew decidedly mixed reactions from the crowd, can be as long as two inches. Some brave children touched the creatures, which are harmless, despite the reputation based on other varieties of cockroaches that can infest homes.

The chance to view animals, including some people don’t see every day, brought out Michaela Barry of Marion, who attended with her daughter Colette, son Harrison and mother Anne Shoemaker. “I thought I’d let the kids see some animals and maybe explore and touch one or two,’’ she said.

Colleen Hollis attended with her son Cole Hollis, 3. “He’s a huge fan of animals,’’ she said. “We always try to engage him with animals.’’

Graeme Lavin, 8, enjoyed spending quality time with a guinea pig. 

“It’s very exciting,’’ he said.

After his interaction, he had one request of his family. “I want one.’’