by Steve Strichart
Owning a newspaper sometimes gives me a chance to do something special, something that lets me combine things that I like with an opportunity to go places I wouldn’t have otherwise had the chance to go. If you know me at all, you know I love reptiles and amphibians and have been a member of the Southern California Herpetology Association & Rescue for many years.
Last week I got the chance to attend a media event at the Los Angeles Zoo. It was the grand opening of the L.A.I.R. (Living, Amphibians, Invertebrates, Reptiles). I jumped at the chance. I called my best buddy Ralph Crouch (also into reptiles) and along with his brother Jim, who was visiting from out of town, we headed to the L.A. Zoo to attend the event. We learned that three years ago the old reptile house was torn down and the planning for a new one began. After much fund-raising and partnerships, the L.A.I.R. came to be. We were very happy to get the chance to meet and talk to Ian Recchio, the curator of Reptiles and Amphibians. He told us that while the plans for the L.A.I.R were moving ahead, one of his highest priorities was to see that each species’ habitat was as naturalistic as possible and they would be realistic representation of the species’ wild environment. Believe me when I say he accomplished his goal and then some.
The first building, Damp Forest, houses Fiji Island banded iguanas, poison dart frogs and the world’s largest amphibian, the Chinese giant salamander. Walking into the serpent room, you will see such snakes as the Mangshan viper from China, green mamba from Africa and the Bushmaster, the largest venomous snake of the Americas. The Desert Lair presents the semi-arid climate of Mexico, Arizona and Southern California. Here you will find the desert hairy scorpion, Gila monster, Southwest speckled rattlesnake, Sonoran toad, and California natives like the California King Snake and San Diego gopher snake.
Between the two buildings is an area known as Arroyo Lagarto, which translates to “lizard stream” in Spanish. Here is an outdoor desert environment which includes the California desert tortoise and a number of desert-dwelling lizards. Leaving the second building, you enter Crocodile Swamp, home to the false gharial exhibit. This species of crocodile found in Southeast Asia can grow to a length of 15 feet.
I’m not going to begin to tell you or list all the animals we saw, but let me just say that no one will be disappointed by their visit to the LAIR. I got as close to a Gaboon viper as I could without petting it on the head. The Los Angeles Zoo went for quality, not quantity. Many of the common reptiles seen at some zoos are not here, but some of the rarest and endangered ones are. To me, this type of thinking is very refreshing and sheds new light on the plight of some of these often misunderstood and, in many cases, beautiful creatures. I can’t wait to go back with Neena and maybe my grandson to revisit this wonderful place.
I encourage any and all of our readers to go and enjoy this beautiful exhibit for yourself. You don’t have to be a reptile lover to enjoy and learn new things about these fascinating creatures.
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located at 5333 Zoo Drive in L.A.—Griffith Park at the intersection of the Golden State (5) and Ventura (134) freeways. For more information, call (323) 644-4273.
