Reptile Zoo

For Mother's Day we took a little road trip to Monroe, Wash. to the Reptile Zoo. It was our second visit, but I think there have been improvements since we were there last year.
We saw so many snakes it was overwhelming. Sean loved it, of course. He loves to study about them and when we took our library load back today we came home with his favorite snake book- again.
I'll let the pictures tell the story.
WARNING:
If you are not the parent of a little boy, or are not yourself interested in reptiles, some of the images may be disturbing.

Pretty cool stuff so far, huh?

Now we'll make our way to the cousin of the monitor.

This guy was enjoying the heat and sun at the window. He was eyeing us the whole time we were near his pin.

This is the Alligator Snapping Turtle. They hail from my home of Tennessee, and I am happy to say I've only seen one--this one--contained. 

I think this is the Green Tree Python, but I don't have Sean here to set me straight. Could be the Emerald Tree Boa.

Best buddies. These pythons were snuggled together in a large pin. The yellowish one is an albino.

Sean was really happy with this rosey boa.

The albino corn snake was friendly. But it was also determined to go where it wanted to go. In the picture above, the snake had slithered into Sean's sleeve and when he tried to pull it out it worked its way out the back of his shirt, but had it's tail gripping the sleeve.  It's tangled in the shirt in that photo, as you can probably tell, Sean was a little concerned.

We definitely recommend this place for all families interested in reptiles. There were tons of other photos that I didn't share on this post. Some of them were too messed up with light reflected in them because of the glass cases and all the heat lamps. There was a huge green anaconda, some rattle snakes, lots of different cobras, (one even struck at the glass a few times-yikes!) The reptiles look well cared for, and the people who work there seem to really love these guys. There is no guided tour, (not really big enough for that) but if you have questions there are people there to answer them. The man who owns the place does a program for schools, etc.

Reasonable entrance fee too, $6 for adults $5 for kids.

I have mixed feelings about zoos and places like this, because I don't like to see animals in captivity. It's a chance to educate people about the many different species. It amazes me how many different species share the earth with us.