BACKOlds Reptiles Boarding Noah's Ark
The Olds Gazette - Wednesday, June 3, 1998 - by Chris Puglia
No, the weather forecast isn't calling for
40 days and nights of rain but, snakes, lizards,
and a few other reptiles and insects from
the "Wrappin About Reptiles" show
here in Olds will be marching two by two
into Noah's Ark when they star in the new
Disney movie "Noah's Ark".
Dean Harper, owner and coordinator of "Wrappin
About Reptiles" says that the key to
having the opportunity to use his animals
in the film was knowing the right people
and having a good reputation for the reptiles
he handles.
The movie will be a whole new experience
for the show, although they have been on
Access Network, A-channel, and are regulars
on ITV's Noon Express, they have never been
involved in anything at this scale.
Harper and his colleague, James Barbas, a
two year veteran of the show, say the show
is designed to educate the public about exotic
animals in hopes of dispelling some of the
myths that surround them. "It's because of ignorance in people
that reptiles get a bad name and it's sad
to see," says Barbas. " They are
beautiful animals," he continues. Over the years movies have done a lot to
feed the negativity that surrounds reptiles
and other exotics, and Harper and Barbas,
say they want to start turning the tides
and portray reptiles in a positive fashion.
The only other show over the years that has
portrayed reptiles in a positive fashion
was "Monty's Traveling Reptile Show". But, that show has been offset with movies
such as, Arachnophobia, Anaconda, and the
most recent Godzilla, all of the latter movies
have portrayed reptiles or insects as viscous
killer animals.
Harper wants people to know that exotic pets
are no more dangerous than the common domestics such as dogs or cats. The only difference is there is less understanding
when it comes to exotics.
According to Statistics Canada in 1997 there
were 4.4 million dog attacks and only 12
snake attacks. Of the snake attacks, 10 attacks were in
the wild and two were due to mis-handling
where an owner handled a snake with the smell
of food on them.
Harper says that if you are in the market
for a snake, or another exotic to do your
homework and find out as much information
as you can. But, it is also a good idea to be selective
of your sources for that information. Check copyright dates inside books that you
are looking through and try to stick with
information that has been written in the
last five years. "There have been lots of advances in
handling and caring for reptiles in the last
few years, many of the older books are out
dated," says Barbas.
The key thing to ensure when buying exotic
animals is to not buy one that has been caught
from the wild. The reasons for this according to Harper
are, the animal will be under a lot of stress
due to the capture and relocation process
as well as it may have a number of parasites
so it may not live very long. "If you're buying a reptile ask where
it came from, if they can't give you a straight
answer be nervous about buying it,"
says Harper.
"Wrappin About Reptiles" does a
number of school, mall, and library education
shows and are planning to begin a number
of projects in the future.
One such project is a children's book that
is currently being negotiated, as well as
an education book about the Reticulated Python. Harper is negotiating with WIC television
for a spot on RDTV during Saturday morning
cartoons for a reptile show.
All the projects that the show is working towards have the same theme which follows the motto "The future of all wildlife including reptiles is through education".