ALMA – The Alma Community Centre was packed, and the parking lot was overflowing when Sciensational Sssnakes of Guelph slithered into town on Family Day, Feb. 19.
Hosted by the Alma Optimists, the event exceeded expectations, as families with kids of all ages watched and listened with rapt attention.
Admission to the event was by donation with proceeds going towards many of the events that the Alma Optimists organize for the community.
Jenny Pearce, along with her fellow “reptile ambassadors,” captivated the room with their kid-friendly approach to teaching about reptiles, both snakes and turtles.
Jenny Pearce and her boa constrictor.
“You are slimier than a snake”, said Pearce to the audience. “You have yucky oils on your skin when you sweat that snakes don’t have on their scales.”
Most of the snakes and turtles on display were native species, with a few exotics added to the mix.
The audience was introduced to Ruby the garter snake, Dasani the northern water snake, Smokey the black rat snake, an endangered eastern fox snake, and a huge boa constrictor that wound around Pearce’s arms and shoulders while she talked.
Also included were corn snakes, a Blanding’s turtle and a large snapping turtle.
Although the informative part of the show was well received by the audience, by far the most popular part was the hands-on portion where those who desired could hold a snake.
According to the Sciensational Sssnakes’ website, their main objective is to promote “conservation through education,” and their shows provide people with “a chance to meet reptiles in person and learn how to help them.”
Pearce started the program in 1994 as a business and enjoys sharing her passion of working with reptiles while teaching people not to be afraid of them.
She claims to be “very privileged to work with such a fantastic team of people and animals everyday.”
For more information on Sciensational Sssnakes and their educational presentations go to scisnake.com.
Carter Dales learns about the endangered eastern fox snake while attending the presentation in Alma on Family Day.
