If things that slither and crawl are your cup of tea, you may want to mark your calendar for next month. That's when a new reptile house is expected to open at the Staten Island Zoo. NY1’s Roger Clark took a sneak peak at what will be home to hundreds of snakes, lizards and their relatives.
A jungle carpet python is getting a look at what will be its new home.
"It's going to be something that every zoo in the world is going to be looking at," said Staten Island Zoo director John Caltabiano.
The new Carl Kauffeld Reptile Wing is expected to open in late February. It’s named for a globally known reptile curator who worked at the zoo for decades, but will also be known as The Fear Zone. And why not? Some of the 200 creatures that will call it home include a Brazilian Rainbow Boa, some Australian walking sticks, and how about a green anaconda, which can grow to be some thirty feet long.
Right now, I'm very safe and dry, but six to eight weeks from now, I'm not going to want to be in here, I'd be swimming with crocodiles and alligators.
Because of construction, the zoo had to do some rearranging, so around two years ago, many of its reptiles and amphibians were moved to the zoo animal hospital where they have been joined in past months by new additions, all waiting for their new home to be ready.
“There are certain people in the animal hospital that are looking forward to obtaining some of their space back, and our two reptile keepers, Cathy and Matt, are looking to spread their wings a little bit in the new wing,” said associate curator Peter Laline.
But the best part is that all of the serpentine creepy crawlers will once again be on display to make your skin crawl.
“It will be nice for the public to be able to see them, to interact with the people a little bit more, and just get some of these new guys seen," said reptile keeper Cathy Eser.
Allowing the zoo to educate visitors about these creatures, so maybe, we won't be so afraid of them.
“You’ll see a completely different kind of atmosphere when you walk in – graphics, plenty of graphics, a lot of great pictures, a lot of interactive stuff," said reptile keeper Matt Lanier.
You may even get a chance to have a frilled lizard crawling on your arm, but only if you really want to.
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