Up close and … personal

By Kath Gannaway
The launch of the Sanctuary’s new reptile show, Fearsome to Awesome, on Tuesday, 17 Janaury, showed that for lots of people, that connection is not confined to Australia’s cute and cuddly critters.
Introducing the show, sanctuary director Glenn Holland said ‘Fearsome to Awesome’ was the latest in a series of new initiatives that are bringing people and animals together to reinforce the organisation’s conservation message.
“One of our aims is to connect people with wildlife,” he said.
“It’s the best way for people to learn, it leaves an impression and it changes attitudes.”
Presenting Fearsome to Awesome in the arena previously used only for Spirits of the Sky birds of prey and parrots show, provides opportunities for the keepers to ‘showcase’ each animal in a more interactive way, and to add an extra element of drama to the presentation.
Keepers were swamped at the end of the show with people of all ages keen to feel the different skin textures of the lizards and snakes they had been introduced to, to make eye-contact with the prehistoric-looking lace monitor and the cheeky bearded dragon, and to talk one-on-one with the reptile keepers.
Over summer, visitors are also challenged to “face their fear” and count down Australia’s top 10 deadliest snakes in the new live snake gallery.
The new show is a great opportunity also for anyone who is nervous about getting up close and personal with snakes to learn a bit about their history, habits and place in the environment, without feeling threatened.
The keepers understand that some people are happy to connect from a distance.