This is the third part of our report on the Reptile Exhibition 2016 at Tierpark Gettorf, one of the largest exhibitions for reptiles and amphibians and successfully in the organisational hands of the Terrarienkreis Kiel for many years. Here you exchange fear of reptiles for fascination. You can read the first two parts here: Highlights of the Reptile Exhibition 2016 at Tierpark Gettorf – Part 1 & Highlights of the Reptile Exhibition 2016 at Tierpark Gettorf - Part 2 .
Day 8: Indian python Bam Bam
Holiday time is daytrip time, and that’s why kindergartens use the Tierpark Gettorf as a very pleasant way of passing the time. Three groups came to the park at once. Apart from the animal park exhibition at Easter, the Terrarienkreis Kiel often gives kindergartens and schools the opportunity to experience our exotic animals up close. That’s why it was so easy for our members to work up the youngsters’ enthusiasm for the animals.
“Bam Bam“, no we haven’t gone back in time to meet the Flintstones! Bam Bam is a very calm male Indian python. In addition to his peaceful nature, his colouring is very special. This Indian python is an albino. When the dark pigmentation was being distributed, he obviously had better things to do. He was probably asleep again, eating or something else to do.
Even though this genetic defect has no effects on his health, this very special animal would not survive in the wild. Camouflage is not possible due to its colouring. So here we are following our association’s guiding principle, to preserve and to protect animal species by offering these animals a home.
Our young visitors were more than enthusiastic about the animals. They listened enthralled and eagerly to all the information about Bam Bam’s python species.
Day 9: In the Night Room
This was a ghastly day for the Terrarienkreis Kiel. It was shocking, terrible and almost indescribable: The only association in the world with a “Federgecko” in its animal stock had to make the terrible discovery that this unique animal was no longer in its terrarium.
Thanks to a resourceful visitor we were able to retrieve the light-sensitive animal.
The visitors to the park visited this unique animal in the night room. You need to be very quiet and careful to observe this indescribable animal in all its full splendour. The slightest careless movement, a flash of light or shaking could lead to it losing its wings. This is why we have no picture of this amazing species.
I think that this is just the right day for an important story. Don’t you think so too? Thanks to the weather our members had a comfortably warm day in the animal park’s halls. Once again today we welcomed some kindergarten groups which were interested in our animals. As in the last days, Laura (Brachypelma auratum) and Cassandra (Brachypelma smithi) went into action and helped the guests to rethink their opinions about these wonderful animals. Yes, they are big and yes, they are hairy but they are also interesting. They don’t build ring webs, they wait in their lurking area for their prey. “Tripwires” (spider threads) which traverse the entire terrarium, help them to get a picture about the position of their feeder animals. When they locate one of them, these very quiet animals can become very fast.
Today is the second last day. Tomorrow, on Sunday, is the tenth and therefore last day of the exhibition. Once again we are looking forward to having many interested visitors and witnessing their curiosity and hunger for knowledge for our animals.
Day 10: Invisible spiders
Oh no, how could this happen so quickly? Now we really have reached the last day of our exhibition. 10 wonderful days with many curious visitors lie behind us. Again we had the chance to show that you have to respect our animals, but not fear them. Again and again we saw the astonishment of people as they realised that snakes were neither wet nor slimy. And they were also amazed when they realized that they could hardly feel the spiders sitting on their hand and that they weren’t in the least aggressive.
We were very happy to welcome many old friends back, people who come and visit us every year. And we were proud to see how brave many visitors were as they overcame their fears and instead came into very close contact with our animals. This went for lizards, such as our blue-tongued skinks (Lepidosauria, Tiliqua scincoides), snakes like our corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus), the Indian python (Python Molurus) or the boas (Boa constrictor imperator), or the spiders, such as the Mexican flame knee (Brachypelma auratum) Laura or the Mexican redknee tarantula (Brachypelma smithi) Cassandra.
Our thanks for this successful exhibition goes, of course, to our sponsor JBL, who again supported us with a lot of equipment, with substrates, lamps and the interior design of the display terrariums. We would also like to thank the Tierpark Gettorf for their high level of cooperation and the opportunity to make use of their premises and show a wide variety of our animals.
And we can’t miss this opportunity to thank our members, who have given up part of their annual leave or their school holidays to come here to the Tierpark every day.
Day 11: Taking it all down.
After the members had taken the first steps towards dismantling everything right after the end of the exhibition on Saturday, we were able to continue quickly and efficiently. As early as 8.30 am our group members were there to dismantle the terrariums.
The terrariums and aquariums were carefully cleaned and packed. The interior decoration was carefully packed, stowed and stored.
The exhibition 2016 ended with a last “lunch“ together in the early afternoon.
We would like to thank our sponsor JBL, the Tierpark Gettorf and all our members for our successful exhibition 2016.
