Washington Serpentarium: Leaping lizards!
From albino alligators to two-headed turtles, the creepy crawlies at the Washington Serpentarium will delight the non-squeamish. Located on State Highway 2, just east of Monroe, the Serpentarium's main room and annex host a wide variety of snakes, turtles, alligators, and exotic insects. Leave your jacket in the car when visiting the zoo, since the temperature inside is quite warm.
Small zoos can often seem dirty and depressing, but not so with this one, where the animals are well cared for and the cages kept as clean as possible, although some seem on the small and unadorned side. There was little to no odor from the animals in the air. At the same time, there's a charming informality to the Serpentarium, and its staff are ready to talk about their favorite reptiles or let you stroke an anaconda as they wrestle with it to remove the skin it's in the process of shedding.
Snake aficionados will be delighted by the variety held by the zoo, which includes 10 of the world's deadliest snakes (which have been surgically devenomized), and sizeable pythons and anacondas, as well as some oddities such as the albino alligator and the two-headed turtle (both heads are functional). While the signs offer up some educational facts about the cage occupants, the primary fascination is watching them. Luckily the zoo doesn't mind lingerers.
The annex, located next door to the main room, is devoted to non-snakes, although the reptile world is well-represented by frogs, iguanas, turtles and alligators. A small room towards the back hosts the insects, with multiple species of tarantulas, centipedes, scorpions and cockroaches.
The Sepentarium is a great place for kids. The patient and knowledgeable staff take pains to interact with their younger visitors, allowing kids to hold several of the smaller snakes. The zoo's party room is available for hosting birthday parties and other celebrations. Owner Scott Petersen, known as "the Reptile Man," makes frequent trips to local schools, taking some of the zoo's inhabitants with him, in his mission to educate the public about reptiles and the environment.
The zoo offers a number of animals for adoption, such as iguanas and rosy pythons, and also hosts a number of abandoned pets, such as alligators purchased as babies and jettisoned when they outgrew their cuteness.
HelloSeattle Tip: Animal lovers may want to combine a trip to the Serpentarium with a visit to the Funny Farm, a nearby exotic animal sanctuary.
Posted by Cat Rambo
