Unless you're a certain boy wizard with a lightening bolt scar, you can't hear the facts about reptiles straight from the serpent's tongue, but the staff at Serpent Safari do their best to lessen the stigma of the often misunderstood scaly creatures.
Education can ease fears and lead to better treatment of reptiles, said Joan Singer, manager at Serpent Safari, rare reptile zoo in Gurnee Mills.
For years, scientists have argued that the fear of snakes is instinctual, but a study by the University of Queensland, Australia in 2008 found that fear of snakes may be caused by inexperience more than instinct.
Serpent Safari helps raise awareness about reptiles with its interactive tours of the indoor reptile zoo. Safari guides keep it interesting with references to pop culture and telling the stories behind many of the rare animals.
"We work with people who are afraid and try to calm their fears," said Singer. "We take them on the tour. Most of the fear is of the unknown, and not knowing much about these animals. Many movies depict snakes as the scariest creatures, as killers of man, but most are very gentle. Reptiles have become so popular in the last 15 years. Thanks to Steve Irwin and other shows, there's a lot of interest."
Kyle Kennedy took a recent tour with his 4-year-old son, Matryk.
"I didn't expect such large, rare creatures," he said. Matryk said that the alligators were his favorite, because, "They're big and scary."
The animals at Serpent Safari, including many rare pythons, alligators, turtles and even a Nile crocodile, are either donated, purchased by owner Lou Daddono or even collected from local police departments, Singer said.
"We get many phone calls from local police departments about iguanas," she said. "Zion's Police Department called once and said, 'We have this really big black, orange, green and yellow creature. It was a 4-foot-long iguana."
Then there was the iguana from the Waukegan Police Department.
The police got the iguana off the top of a bank, she said. "Iguanas can land on all fours from 40 feet up, and it was getting ready to jump. One of the officers lassoed it and it was rescued," Singer said.
Serpent Safari has also received reptiles from as far away as Florida.,
"Twelve years ago, a woman in Florida would hear her animals scream in the night. One morning she saw a tail disappear under the foundation of her house," Singer said. "It turned out to be a 22-foot-long reticulated python. There was footage on an episode of Cops with the local police removing it from the house. The python ended up here for some time."
As for its hiss-tory, the foundation for Serpent Safari was laid 16 years ago when Daddono had an animal rescue facility. "He would take in many animals that no one else wanted," said Joan Singer, manager. Reptiles were always the main focus. Daddono would go into schools to talk about animal safety and spread awareness, said Singer.
In 1996, the first Serpent Safari opened in Wisconsin Dells, followed by the Gurnee Mills location in 1998. Singer got her start at Serpent Safari when she was working in the flower business.
"I came in to help decorate the zoo, and the owner asked me to help start the business," she said. "Entertainment and education make it a really great business."
"We opened in a mall to reach a large audience," Singer said. "Entertainment is important in a mall, and we help in giving families a lot to do when they're here."
Serpent Safari has continued with its goal of animal education alongside its retail ventures. "We do a lot of tours for schools and youth groups," said Singer. "We do a 30-minute tour on the animals. For the educational groups we have an interactive seminar. The kids get hands-on time with many different animals, and they get to hold many smaller animals. Usually by the end of the session, even kids who are scared will have touched something."
Daddono is often traveling looking for new animals, Singer said. "The owner is always on the lookout for rare animals that most people can't care for," she said. Serpent Safari specializes in albino reptiles, which are missing color pigmentation.
"We would never turn away an albino because they are so rare. Many albinos don't survive in the wild because they get eaten," Singer said. Albino reptiles lack the defensive advantage of camouflage in the wild, and are prone to health issues that could shorten their life span.
"We had an albino iguana that died of kidney failure. Scientists don't know how long [albino reptiles] live," Singer said.
The reptile zoo features an 18-year-old albino alligator, one of five found on a farm in Louisiana.
The star of the Safari is Delilah, the 18-year-old, 26-foot-long, 400-pound Burmese python. Delilah's predecessor, Baby, held the title for the largest (heaviest) snake in the world in the 1999 Guiness Book of World Records.
"As long as she's eating and is healthy, Delilah will keep growing and we expect her to surpass Baby's record," Singer said.
There's also Cleopatra, the man-eating Nile crocodile. "It hasn't eaten anyone recently," said Singer. "But they are man's fiercest predator. They will eat just for sport, not because they're hungry." Zookeepers never enter Cleopatra's habitat, which is self-draining. They feed her through trap doors.
Singer's favorite animal in the zoo is Sunny, the albino alligator. "He's so unique. He's at 325 pounds from 25 pounds when we got him. It's really nice to know he's having a good life here."
Singer said what makes these animals safe compared to their friends in the wild comes down to the environment the zoo provides. "They are in a safe environment. They get heat, light, food and the zookeepers care for them. We have a vet on staff, and it's a stress free, loving home for the animals. In the wild, animals have never been handled. They will be skittish and head shy."
As for the wild things in Lake County, Singer said rat snakes, turtles, corn snakes and frogs are often found in the area, and sometimes brought in to be identified. "Once someone brought us a little lizard they found at Six Flags," she said.
On a recent January day, shoppers beckoned by the occasional lion roars and jungle noises of Rainforest Cafe across the hall were greeted at Serpent Safari's entrance by a guide wearing one of two albino Burmese pythons, Banana and Popcorn, as a scarf.
"They get switched out often so they can rest," said Giustyna Noren, a safari guide wearing a snake. "They're only 20 pounds and their weight is distributed."
Noren instructed shoppers to pet the snake toward its tail, rather than against its scales. "If you pet against his scales, it feels like you're ripping his skin off his body," she told an inquisitive shopper. If anyone is scared, she tells them that snakes are like dogs. "They won't hurt you unless you hurt them."
Singer offered two snake myths she'd like to bust. "People will say snakes are slimy. They're not slimy, they're absolutely dry with a shiny coating. Also, I'll hear, 'I just ate chicken, will it smell it and bite me?' No."
Along with its tour, Serpent Safari offers a selection of souvenirs including T-shirts, toys and even pets including small turtles and lizards, ball pythons and hermit crabs.
"We sell books that give tips on what the animal eats, and we'll give them specific care instructions for that animal," Singer said. "Most [reptiles] are low-maintenance and easy pets. You don't need to give them a lot of attention. You can take care of them in the morning and go to work," she said.
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