A travelling reptile zoo is turning heads at the Saint John Exhibition but there appears to be little opposition to the popular exhibit.
“It’s really good for children who need that oomph in life to stimulate their imagination and feel like they’re getting a part of something that they normally wouldn’t,” says Saint John resident Shelley McKee.
The animals come from the Maritime Reptile Zoo in Dartmouth and the exhibit features pythons, a snake that has ignited a nationwide debate in recent weeks.
“There’s definitely a lot more questions,” says Mike MacDonald of the Maritime Reptile Zoo. “People have more concerns now than they had say one month ago.”
The deaths of two young boys who were asphyxiated by a python in Campbellton earlier this month did not cancel the show, although officials considered it.
“We were prepared to re-jig things because they were reconsidering whether they wanted to do it and they decided to do it and that was fine with us,” says Blair MacDonald of the Saint John Exhibition Association.
The reptile exhibit is making the rounds on the festival circuit this summer in the Maritimes. The schedule was made months ago and operators say the show is an opportunity to educate the public about reptiles.
Many people visiting the Saint John Exhibition on Wednesday said they had enjoyed the reptile exhibit.
“I mean, I looked at all the snakes and I’m glad they brought the lizards and the crocodile and I hope people take it as an educational theme,” says Saint John resident Lorne Flowers.
Handlers say they want to build an appreciation and respect for reptiles in the aftermath of the Campbellton tragedy.
“Even people who wouldn’t come in here to talk to us before, they’re going to come in and talk to us now to try to understand what happened there a month ago,” says MacDonald.
The reptile exhibit continues in Saint John until the weekend when it will move on to another Maritime festival.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Mike Cameron
