Snakes, lizards and other reptiles crawled into the Hoosier Room at IU Southeast during “Herps Alive!”
The program educated children in the Kentuckiana area by raising awareness of reptiles and amphibians.
Using money from the student activity fee, Herps Alive is an annual event on campus organized by the Children’s Hour — a series of programs at IU Southeast for children.
Keith Gisser, owner, animal handler and presenter of Herps Alive, said his show is a variation of a different show called “Snakes Alive!”
“Herps is short for herptiles or herpetology,” Gisser said. “It’s not just snakes. We wanted to do something different.”
Although his show consisted of snakes, it also included lizards, a frog, an alligator, turtles and other reptiles.
Gisser said the most exciting part of his show is the hands-on aspect.
“They get to look at the animals on TV, but they don’t get a chance to interact directly with them,” Gisser said. “They can’t touch them. As great as zoos are, everything’s behind glass.”
During the show, Gisser gave the names of every animal he presented. He then explained where it lives in the wild, what it eats and what makes it unique.
Although some of the younger children were impatient for a chance to touch the animals, many of them were anxious to know more about these exotic animals.
Brittany Hubbard, director of Financial Aid, brought her son and daughter to the show.
“Our son has a leopard gecko, so he’s really getting into reptiles,” Hubbard said. “A lot of it’s just the experience, to see the animals up close.”
Gisser said children are more interested in reptiles and amphibians because they have more knowledge about them than past generations.
He said today’s generation has more available resources to learn about species that are not native to their area.
“All the wildlife shows, the late ‘Crocodile Hunter,’ Steve Irwin, Jeff Corwin and all these different shows. . . . suddenly all these kids are seeing a lot of these animals on TV,” Gisser said.
He said he remembers the days when information on animals was only available in books or real-life experiences.
“I remember when I was a kid, and the first time I saw a picture of a black rat snake in a book and saying, ‘That’s a cool-looking snake,’ but I never saw it moving; it was just a picture,” Gisser said. “Then I went out into the woods and found my first one, I’d say ‘Wow, this is totally different.’”
Despite being able to see reptiles and amphibians on TV, Gisser said people still have a misunderstanding of these animals. He said he is dedicated to providing true information about reptiles, so he can eliminate the negative stereotypes associated with the animals.
“The biggest thing is just the awareness,” Gisser said. “The vast majority of snakes are very beneficial.”
Hubbard said she brought her children to make them feel more comfortable around reptiles and to expose them to animals they had never seen before.
“Actually seeing someone handle them, I think it makes them less afraid of the animals,” Hubbard said. “So they feel more comfortable with their own pet.”
Gisser said he sees individuals progress toward having a better understanding of reptiles.
“We have many schools that we go back to year after year,” Gisser said. “We’ll see people in their first year hovering in the back of the room, and then the next year they’ll move up a little closer, and by the next year maybe touch an animal. It helps people overcome their fears.”
By BRITTANY POWELL
Staff
bripowel@umail.iu.edu