Denver Museum Live Snake and Lizard display- bumming me out

[Robyn@SYR]

So I took my mom to the Denver Musuem of Nature & Science today, they are currently hosting the traveling exhibit, "Lizards & Snakes", a 6 month educational exhibit. Over 60 reptiles on display.

http://www.dmns.org/lizards-and-snakes

I thought it would be a fun Mother's Day trip. Ugh.

But really, I knew what I was getting into. I'm a reptile breeder, both snakes and lizards. I have a passion for the animals, how they breed, husbandry requirements, what makes them thrive, etc.

I knew this wasn't going to be a tour of PE, or Mark Bell's place, or BHB.

(if I knew I was going to post about it, I would have taken more pics)

An exhibit, especially a traveling exhibit, is a very different thing. Tens of thousands of people a day pass through this hall. The stress for the reptiles must be stupendous. These folks aren't my Pro Exotics customers, expecting perfect specimens. They are just regular folks that think it is "really neat" to see some live snakes and lizards. We literally didn't hear another single person grumble or complaining at all.

And still...

The condition of the animals just bums me out.

The display was mostly lizards, and most had raw rubbed noses, stuck sheds, scrawny, etc. No decent husbandry, desiccating cages, no proper basking spots or temps, and ten thousand people a day pressing their nose against the glass displays. Ugh. Not a single reptile in the place appeared to be thriving. Or even doing "well". Families and kids around us seemed to enjoy it though. I guess that is the price to be paid for public excitement and education?

General public- "Whoa, cool!"

Herper- "Wow, that's sad."

In this pic, a Green Tree Monitor. They are not supposed to sit there catatonic, nor should they have rounded, worn down crusty mouths with raw noses. Poor guy.



Here is a skinny, dark, unhappy looking 5 ft Water monitor. Hips showing, no movement, but with no basking or proper temps, no hope for creating metabolism for any movement.



I can't imagine the Green Tree, the chuckwallas, collared lizards (looked nearly dead, except for the one cowering in the lower corner), Cuban anoles, Emerald tree boa covered in stuck shed, I can't imagine they make it for six months, then go on to the next town successfully. I wonder if they just restock it like toilet paper?

I'm sure LOTS of kids, and even adults, were totally stoked by the "neat reptiles" though, creating new hobbyists. But the balance, the costs, it just bothered me.

I don't think it is malicious, AT ALL. It is just ignorance. TO ME, most of the animals look in poor shape, but to the folks that run the place (and I am sure work hard) I suppose everything looks fine? Or to the point, maybe this is the price you pay to have them on display? I AM THE ONE that is ignorant of what it takes to put on such a public display. It just bums me out, regardless of the details...

I posted these pics on Facebook, and folks got awfully hot, awfully quick. I figured it would be good for a wider audience, perhaps more discussion. I am NOT looking for anyone to call/email the museum to complain. Especially if you have not seen it in person. Getting self righteous on some poor customer service clerk isn't going to help anything. I was more interested in the thoughts of my peers, as again, I realize that this side of the business/industry/captive reptile world is perhaps completely different from what we do.