At The Reptile Zoo

I took a couple of postcard shots of an iguana and of an emerald boa. These are beautiful creatures. However when the staff rolled out the dead animal cart with dinner for the snakes, the show was less about beauty than it was about the mammalian-reptilian food chain. One of the mamba's actually forced its way out of its cage at the sight of the cart, or maybe the smell of it, which was really rank. All of a sudden, there was a moment of panic as all attention turned to the problem of the mamba out of its enclosure and headed for the plate of dead mice. Before it could be contained and returned to its habitat, it inflicted three bites on the hand of the staff person attempting to corral it. Meanwhile the boas were methodically crushing their dead rats to make sure they were definitely dead before eating them and the cobra was swallowing a large rat whole. Tre really got into the display of reptilian table manners, "Eat the head first, eat the head first" he chanted, much to the chagrin of those of us who felt there was no way to deny we were with him.

Anyway, we had a good time at the Reptile Zoo in Monroe. The sun was shining and nobody got seriously injured. The kids got to handle some snakes and even a tarantula. But the discussion of the relative merits of cockroaches as pets was way too far around the bend for me.