Reptiles at Risk

Bugs, Turtles and Sssnakes!

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on July 17, 2008 at 6:24 PM

Lenny here. This morning it was the dozens of mosquitoes that woke me up, not the alarm. We camped at Quetico Provincial Park last night after doing a show here as well as in Atikokan, the town nearby. Atikokan is a small Northern Ontario town, with a gradually declining population, so when four people roll into town with a bunch of snakes, it really draws a crowd. We had over 150 people at our presentation.

I saved my first turtle crossing the road today! We were headed north towards Blue Lake Provincial Park for an afternoon show, and there he was crawling across the road - a Western Painted turtle about 25 centimeters in diameter with long black claws. Jeff told me that it is the males that have the long nails, for mating purposes. We took a few photos of him and sent him on his way. Working for Sciensational Sssnakes has made me not only exited about helping turtles cross the road, but also wanting to see and help my first turtle in distress.

Our show at Blue Lake Provincial Park went well despite the unforgiving weather, which was cold, rainy, windy, and difficult to talk over. This was complemented with a long and uncomfortable previous night spent battling (and rarely winning) against mosquitoes. And finally, one more complication is the cold that we are all struggling with, and which keeps all of our voices at minimal capacity. The enthusiasm of the audience is easy to build off of though and their excitement at being able to see and hold the snakes helps us get through the more difficult shows. Its no surprise however that dinner and a bed was welcome by the end of the show.

Bye for now,
Lenny