Families gathered at Playground 278, at Fillmore Ave and Madison Place, on Sunday, July 13th, for Uncle Tony’s Reptile Show, where residents interacted with exotic animals that are not typically found locally.
Organized by the Marine Park Alliance (MPA) and hosted by Tyler of Uncle Tony’s Reptile Show, children got up close and personal with animals of various shapes and sizes and were able to touch some of them while learning new facts about the animals.
Tyler presented various reptiles, including a ball python, a boa constrictor, an alligator snapping turtle and a bearded dragon — named Lucy, Voldemort, Fruit Loops and Spike, respectively. Among the non-reptilian animals included were a ferret named Dr. Alvin who practices dentistry, as humorously noted by Tyler, and a tarantula named Mr. T.
Tyler explained that ball pythons defend themselves against predators by rolling themselves into a ball, hence its name, and that boa constrictors can weigh up to 30 pounds and that an alligator snapping turtle can live up to 70 years.
“It was fantastic and I’m glad that my daughter got called to help,” Evoria Lopez said. “We were going to come to another event, but she likes reptiles, so this was a really amazing experience for her.”
Although school is out, this event was a valuable learning experience, and instead of going to the wildlife, the wildlife came to Marine Park.
“We had Uncle Tony’s come out for this reptile show today as part of our Just For Kids series, and we know live animals really bring people out to the park in big numbers,” MPA Executive Director Scott Middleton said. “Everyone likes the chance to see and hold a critter and that’s exactly what Uncle Tony provided.”
It was a mutually engaging experience for residents, Tyler and even the animals.
“It’s a fun, rewarding experience and I’ve been doing this for a few years now,” Tyler said. “I have my degree in biology, so it’s nice to be able to educate the younger generation about reptiles, not all them being creepy, crawling or scaly. They’re fun animals, just like any dogs or cats.”
The next Just for Kids event – “Summertime Sillies” – will be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 27th, at Playground 278. Looney Louie will be showing off his outlandish tricks that will be sure to have everyone rolling in laughter. Suitable for ages 3-10.
