Post by Genetic Mishap on Aug 14, 2004 20:32:46 GMT -5
[IMAGE INTENSIVE POST]
I'm back, so you can stop tearing your hair out. ("You were gone?")
For the past several weeks, I've been taking my first college class (Comp 101) at Missouri Southern, which is a 30 minute drive from my house. The class was early in the morning, so I would always arrive home around noon, leaving me with idle hands all afternoon. After the food dye incident, I figured I'd better find something to do in Joplin for several hours after the class.
Enter Reptile World.
www.reptileworldzoo.com
These folks, Ron and Debbie, started a reptile zoo composed entirley of their many pets, which is around 100+ animals.
I decided, what the hey, I'll volunteer. Next best thing to an actual paying job. So I've been doing that after school all summer.
I'd thought I'd share some photos.
Ron and Debbie, the owners, and Irwin the Ball Python. These guys are the cutest things (the ball pythons, I mean). Here, I'll prove it with Hugs and Jenks.
Missouri's 2nd amendment cannot stop their crescending love for each other (both girls). Course, it's more likely that they were about to bite each other's faces, but it makes a good photo op.
In contrast, here's Hugs with a really ugly thing, to call further attention to the cuteness factor.
Here's Priscilla, a King Cobra, striking at an obnoxious child we threw in her cage offscreen.
Ahh, this is Slade, AKA the Boston Strangler. Story time!
A few days into the work, Ron put green stickers on the cages of animals that I could handle without supervision. Slade, the Pine Snake, didn't have one. I thought this was weird, since I had been handling him for quite a while without incident. I asked Ron, and he let me take him out again.
After several minutes with Slade, I started talking to Ron. I should mention at this that pine snakes are constrictors. Soon I noticed that he was wrapped around my neck, and squeezing. Hard. I didn't want to blow my chance and prove Ron right, so I try to nonchalantly get him off my neck myself. No dice. Squeezing tighter. I finally asked Ron for help.
Turns out Slade literally tied himself into a shoelace knot around my neck. Ron can't get him off. I'm about to pass out. Debbie rushes in, and they both managed to untie him. Frankly, I was more upset for getting yelled at by Debbie than having a living blood pressure cuff cut off my circulation.
The pictures above were several weeks afterward, and they're from the first time I've had him out since. He's more well behaved now, and I'm more attentive.
Snappy the Alligator getting a pat. He likes pats, yes him does.
The Ever Elusive Parrot Lizard. AKA J.J., a gold and blue macaw. One of several parrots in the zoo.
The last three photos I have scanned (I've taken over a hundred of the things)
mywebpage.netscape.com/KrabbyjoK/Monty.jpg
mywebpage.netscape.com/KrabbyjoK/Scrappy.jpg
mywebpage.netscape.com/KrabbyjoK/Bert.jpg
Albino monocled cobra, Nile Croc, and Albino Burmese Python, respectively. We gave the name Monty to a cobra, not a python! We outsmarted you!
Hope you like the photos, and the rumors of my death.
I'm back, so you can stop tearing your hair out. ("You were gone?")
For the past several weeks, I've been taking my first college class (Comp 101) at Missouri Southern, which is a 30 minute drive from my house. The class was early in the morning, so I would always arrive home around noon, leaving me with idle hands all afternoon. After the food dye incident, I figured I'd better find something to do in Joplin for several hours after the class.
Enter Reptile World.
www.reptileworldzoo.com
These folks, Ron and Debbie, started a reptile zoo composed entirley of their many pets, which is around 100+ animals.
I decided, what the hey, I'll volunteer. Next best thing to an actual paying job. So I've been doing that after school all summer.
I'd thought I'd share some photos.
Ron and Debbie, the owners, and Irwin the Ball Python. These guys are the cutest things (the ball pythons, I mean). Here, I'll prove it with Hugs and Jenks.
Missouri's 2nd amendment cannot stop their crescending love for each other (both girls). Course, it's more likely that they were about to bite each other's faces, but it makes a good photo op.
In contrast, here's Hugs with a really ugly thing, to call further attention to the cuteness factor.
Here's Priscilla, a King Cobra, striking at an obnoxious child we threw in her cage offscreen.
Ahh, this is Slade, AKA the Boston Strangler. Story time!
A few days into the work, Ron put green stickers on the cages of animals that I could handle without supervision. Slade, the Pine Snake, didn't have one. I thought this was weird, since I had been handling him for quite a while without incident. I asked Ron, and he let me take him out again.
After several minutes with Slade, I started talking to Ron. I should mention at this that pine snakes are constrictors. Soon I noticed that he was wrapped around my neck, and squeezing. Hard. I didn't want to blow my chance and prove Ron right, so I try to nonchalantly get him off my neck myself. No dice. Squeezing tighter. I finally asked Ron for help.
Turns out Slade literally tied himself into a shoelace knot around my neck. Ron can't get him off. I'm about to pass out. Debbie rushes in, and they both managed to untie him. Frankly, I was more upset for getting yelled at by Debbie than having a living blood pressure cuff cut off my circulation.
The pictures above were several weeks afterward, and they're from the first time I've had him out since. He's more well behaved now, and I'm more attentive.
Snappy the Alligator getting a pat. He likes pats, yes him does.
The Ever Elusive Parrot Lizard. AKA J.J., a gold and blue macaw. One of several parrots in the zoo.
The last three photos I have scanned (I've taken over a hundred of the things)
mywebpage.netscape.com/KrabbyjoK/Monty.jpg
mywebpage.netscape.com/KrabbyjoK/Scrappy.jpg
mywebpage.netscape.com/KrabbyjoK/Bert.jpg
Albino monocled cobra, Nile Croc, and Albino Burmese Python, respectively. We gave the name Monty to a cobra, not a python! We outsmarted you!
Hope you like the photos, and the rumors of my death.
Thanks so much for putting those up! Awesome pics, and what a cool summer job!
