Lizards, snakes, frogs and turtles made their way to IU Southeast for the “Herps Alive!” event on Sept. 25 in the Hoosier Room.
Herps Alive is a program that focuses on educating children and adults alike about herptiles. The 17th annual event was organized by Kim Pelle, coordinator for the Adult Student Center.
Herps Alive allows children to interact closely with herptiles and learn more about their behaviors.Keith Gisser, herpetologist and presenter of Herps Alive, said he became interested in herptiles when he was young.
“I caught a toad when I was a kid, worked at a pet store as a teenager and later obtained my biology degree,” Gisser said. “I’ve been doing this show for 35 years now.”
Almost all of the herptiles used for the show are adopted, but the few that are not are bought specifically for the show by Gisser.
While snakes make up a large portion of Gisser’s show, there are also lizards, turtles and an alligator.
Mort, the 7-year-old tortoise, roamed around the room as Gisser spoke of its life, habitat and food sources.
Mort was rescued after becoming too large for his owner to take care of him.
“Mort is a big boy and is still growing,” Gisser said. “Tortoises can live to be 100 years old.”
Emily Schwartz, nursing freshman, said she would return next year for the event.
“I liked it a lot,” Schwartz said. “Mort, the tortoise, was my favorite out of all of the animals shown. He just crawled around the entire time. I also got to hold the python, and something like that is a once in a lifetime experience.”
Gisser said his goal is to make children more exposed to these types of animals.
While herptiles are on television networks such as Animal Planet and National Geographic, people cannot touch them. Gisser said he wants to bring the herptiles into children’s lives.
“Any chance to hold a python is an unforgettable experience,” Gisser said. “Children have been more exposed through television programs, but there’s something special about actually feeling a snake or alligator.”
Gisser said IU Southeast is slightly different from other places that he presents at because it is a weekend program.
“There are mostly children here and they have a different level of understanding,” Gisser said. “I need to put things into terms they understand without disrupting the educational value of the
program.”
By NICOLE BRANDUM
Staff
nbrandum@ius.edu
