Traveling Rattlesnake Exhibit & Outreach Programs

Our traveling GIR rattlesnake exhibit has been featured at some of Chicagoland’s largest events and has been featured on radio and television shows. This is a great draw for just about any event and EDUCATION is our primary focus.

Some of the shows we have been featured at include:

We can display between 6-12 rattlesnakes (from North and South America) showcased in beautiful, zoo/museum quality traveling exhibits that can sit on top of standard folding tables our countertops. These naturalistic exhibits are truly breathtaking and they will enhance your event by providing your customers/attendees with something truly memorable. These exhibits were built with safety in mind and feature double shatterproof glass, industrial style double locking mechanisms and much more. In addition to our rattlesnakes, we also have various bio-artifacts, a “rattlesnake box” (turn the knob and the box makes a real rattler sound!), table top video and much more. Our expert full time WDC will be on hand to answer questions and supervise the exhibits for the duration of the event.

The primary goal of our exhibit is to teach people about the beauty of these animals along with observing their incredible adaptations. Attendees will learn about their plight and how they are a target for annual rattlesnake hunts. We also provide information about how their venom is being used to develop new pharmaceutical drugs to cure diseases such as cancer, diabetes, alzheimer’s, stroke victims and much more!

What is a Typical GIR Traveling Exhibit?

Our most popular exhibit will feature 2-8 exhibits (costs increase with numbers of exhibits) featuring rattlesnakes from Illinois, the U.S., and one from South America. For more information on the types of rattlesnakes that we keep that can come to your event, go to our “Rattlesnake List” and tell us what you would like to see. In addition to the exhibits, we will have table top “touch boxes” with dried rattlesnake sheds, fun “test your rattler knowledge” games, and an opportunity to try our snake handling equipment on toy snakes (the same equipment that our professional staff use). There are all kinds of hand’s on opportunities.

We will have staff behind the tables answering questions and facilitating impromptu “rattlesnake chats”. None of the snakes are actually taken out to ensure participant safety. We can also add a rattlesnake presentation/lecture if you have the proper facilities. In these cases, we can take out a safely restrained rattlesnake to give the public a memorable close up encounter. Just seeing the snakes in their beautiful exhibits, however, will leave a lasting memory!

What Types of Groups Request the Traveling Exhibit?

How Much does this Traveling Exhibit Cost?

The costs will depend on a variety of factors including:

Please call Rob Carmichael, Curator, at 847.615.4388, or, email him at carmichr@cityoflakeforest.com (or, rob@robcarmichaelreptiles.com ) for obtain a cost estimate for us to come to your event.