THE EXHIBIT & COLLECTION OF VENOMOUS REPTILES

Lake Forest, IL

Why does the Wildlife Discovery Center keep venomous reptiles? Easy! Venomous reptiles, particularly rattlesnakes, are some of the most misunderstood creatures on earth. Each year tens of thousands are unmercifully killed through rattlesnake roundups due to ignorance and humankind's destructive nature. The Grass Is Rattling is dedicated to dispelling these myths and teach the public about the value of these creatures. Conservation is another major focus of the GIR exhibit and program. In this region, the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake, Sistrurus catenatus, is nearly extirpated along with another rare herp, the Blanding's Turtle, Emydoidea blandingii, both of which the Wildlife Discovery Center would like to see come back to this area. The Middlefork Savanna, a rare open oak savanna that is behind the WDC, may be the most suitable habitat for both species.

Chicago is home to many incredible attractions: museums, zoos, cultural arts/theaters, opera, fine restaurants and bars, beautiful shorelines and much, much more. But if you just take a short 30 minute drive to the north, you can visit the Chicago area's largest public display of venomous reptiles. In fact, it just may be the largest public display of rattlesnakes in the world! You'll be captivated by their beauty. Best of all…it's free of charge to visit! We do appreciate leaving a donation to help us to continue to give our animals the best in care.

Here's some important reasons why rattlesnakes (and venomous reptiles in general) are important to US:

Your visit will be filled with amazement as you walk into the Grass Is Rattling Exhibit at the Wildlife Discovery Center. We have over 30 species of rattlesnakes and close to 20 species of native herps and exotic venomous herps right to you! This year we will be upgrading some of our exhibits. Unlike a large zoo where you may feel a bit disconnected from the animals that you are viewing, at our place, you are literally nose to nose with some of the world's most bizarre, beautiful and unique creatures. The exhibit is housed inside one of our old farm buildings (the Dairy Barn so instead of producing milk, we are milking rattlesnakes!); the setting is intimate and cozy.

Each exhibit depicts the animal in its natural environment. We take great pride in providing for each animal's specific requirements. Each exhibit has special lighting and heating and high tech thermostats to ensure that the proper temperatures are being met. Some of our rattlesnakes are native to high elevations and as such, need to be kept cooler than those from the arid plains. We spend a lot of time and energy in ensuring the proper environment.

Rob Carmichael, Curator, serves as the primary caretaker of this collection and he spends, on average, 2-3 hours each day maintaining this large and diverse collection. Bryan Suson, Head Animal Keeper, has been certified by an in-house certification program where he works under Rob's mentorship. Bryan has progressed so well in his mastery of venomous "handling" skills that he now takes care of half of the venomous collection. It's not easy finding highly competent venomous snake handlers but Bryan has been an excellent student, fast learner, and takes what he does very, very seriously. Rob has been working professionally with venomous reptiles for over 20 years and takes great pride in his perfect safety record. There is no showboating at this facility and we use various tools to ensure safe interactions with our snakes: special tongs, hooks, gloves, dividers/shields, baggers, etc. Through daily interactions, the animals in our collection have come to trust Rob and Bryan and very rarely do they put up any sort of fuss.

Several animals in our collection are nearing longevity records and we take great pride in providing the finest in care for our scaly friends. We spare no expense for maintaining the proper habitat and providing the finest food sources. Additionally, we are very blessed in having two of the top reptile vets in the country within a 15 minute drive of our facility: Dr. Steve Barton from the Vernon Hills Animal Hospital and Dr. Gery Hermann from the Mundelein Animal Hospital.

Feeding

Although the Curator enjoys feeding days, it also comes with its own inherent dangers and risks. With this being said, working with venomous reptiles can be fairly uneventful as long as things are done properly…getting bit is never an option and something we hope will never, ever happen. By minimizing risks, we minimize the remote chance of getting bit. When a snake is expecting food, it can lunge suddenly in anticipation of dinner coming. Some are very aggressive feeders such as our mambas, cobras and large rattlesnake. Some, on the other hand, are extremely timid and will only feed when no one is around. Using the proper equipment such as tongs, hooks, shields, hemostats, tubes, shift boxes, etc ensure many safe encounters. Rob Carmichael has never been bit by a venomous snake under his care and he takes great pride in this perfect safety record. All of our animals get only the highest quality diets. We purchase most of our feeder animals (mice, rats, rabbits, quail) from www.rodentpro.com. We highly recommend them.

Following is a list of each animal in our Grass Is Rattling exhibit along with some interesting information about each one (current to January 1, 2007). Enjoy the pictures too!

Meet Our Animals

Illinois Native Venomous Herps on exhibit:

U.S. Native Rattlesnakes on exhibit:

Central and South American Species (Mexico to Central/South America):

Venomous Lizards

Exotic Venomous Reptiles

Other Exhibits at the Wildlife Discovery Center

We also have quite a few animals that reside in our off display exhibit area including:Boa constrictor, Amazon Tree Boa, Borneo Short-tailed Python, Reticulated Python (albino), Rosy Boa, Ball Python, Speckled Kingsnake, Sinaloan Milksnake, Checkered Gartersnake, Western Hognose Snake, Transpecos Ratsnake, Black Throated Monitor, Blue Tongued Skink, Leopard Gecko, Australian Knob Tailed Geckos, and several tarantula species