Welcome to Roma!

Our destination for the next five days was ROME. I had never been to Europe so you can imagine my excitement as we flew into Italy…to me it looked exactly like an Olive Garden commercial! Vast pastures, trees, and vineyards as far as the eye could see! I made incredible memories in this ancient empire and am so happy to share some of them with you (i.e.: me trying to “fight” a gladiator in front of the Colosseum).

The Colosseum, built in 72AD is the largest amphitheatre ever constructed by the Roman Empire. It could seat over 50,000 Romans and held many events including the famous gladiator fights, executions, animal hunts, and dramas. It can be found right smack dab in the center of ROME.

Here is what fascinated me: You can go inside the Colosseum and see the arena floor which was once covered with wood and 8 inches of sand. With the wood and sand gone you can now see the underground tunnels, walkways, and elevator shafts that once transported wild animals like tigers, bears, and wolves up to the arena floor. Unfortunately thousands of animals were slaughtered during these times. There is a report that over 3,000 were killed during just ONE day of events.

Being the Reptile Guy I had to find a local accredited zoo to visit. Luckily Rome is home to the 4th oldest zoo in Europe. I wouldn’t argue with that statement: The zoo is OLD. Surprisingly, the newest part of the zoo was the Reptile House! It also seemed to be the most popular! You can’t argue with that grin on the crocodile!

The animals found at the zoo are similar to the ones you can find in American Zoos. Giraffes (pictured), monkeys, and elephants can all be found throughout the park. The most surprising animal I saw on display was a single trout in a tank! Who would have thought a fish native to Idaho would be on display in Rome?

My favorite animal was the pygmy hippo! These hippos are found throughout the forested parts of Western Africa. They might look similar to their much bigger cousins, the common Hippo but pygmies are much different. They prefer to live alone and hate confrontation.

Here is probably the most famous meeting point for us in Rome: the Spanish Steps. It doesn’t make sense to me now looking at the picture…I mean why would we designate the most congested area to be our meeting spot? It worked though…If one were to get lost from the group; meet at the steps!

You might be wondering why I have a picture of a mound of dirt with flowers on it. Believe it or not you are taking a look at where Julius Caesar was burned after he was killed in 44bc. It amazes me that his grave site is still adorned with flowers. You can see this at the Roman Forum.

Here I am in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. It is the largest Christian Church in the world (as long as two football fields). I was hoping to get a glimpse of the Pope but it turned out I was in no luck.

They call Rome the city of Eternal Love…and for very good reason! Unfortunately, there is not much love in this picture. It’s actually just a picture of my friend Natasha and me in front of the famous Trevi Fountain. Natasha and I had just met and decided to throw a coin in the fountain…legend has it that one who throws a coin in the Trevi will return to Rome someday. I sure hope that’s true!

The Trip of a lifetime: Pt 1

I tell people every day I have the best job in the world. I literally get up and do what I LOVE to do: work with animals. Now there are the ups and downs. Sometimes it’s not too fun spending hours upon hours cleaning and scrubbing. In the end though, the rewards are incredible. Working with animals has taken me to many amazing places. Just recently I was fortunate enough to visit a tropical paradise teeming with wildlife: The Seychelles. Now getting there wasn’t easy. The Seychelles are a group of islands located off the East coast of Africa; literally half way around the world! In a series of the next few blogs I’m going to take you step by step through my journey.

I know what you are probably thinking…Where’s the tropical paradise? You are actually looking at our Nation’s Capital. The first stop on my journey was Washington, D.C. We had a 12 hour layover so we decided to rent a car and explore the city. I have never been to D.C. so you can imagine how excited I was! Here is the first actual picture I took at sunrise.

We had a lot on our agenda and the first thing was to find the White House. You think it wouldn’t be hard to find…for us it was! After mistaking several buildings for it we finally found it!

For those of you who have never seen the White House in person; it is incredibly small! I also was shocked at how close the public could get to it.

Next stop was the Arlington National Cemetery. Here over 300,000 soldiers, generals, slaves, presidents, and even astronauts are buried. One of the most famous grave sites is the Kennedys. Here is JFK’s grave and if you look closely behind it you will see the eternal flame. Visiting Arlington made me appreciate all the men and women who have fought for the beautiful country we live in.

Here is the Washington Monument. It stands at a staggering 555 feet making it the tallest stone structure in the world. I was so excited to go to the very top and see the breathtaking views.

Up at the very top of the monument you can see the reflection pool and straight across is the Lincoln Memorial. Remember Forest Gump? All I could see is Jenny screaming “Forest!” running through the shallow pool.

Here I’m standing at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. As a kid I remember reading books about this wall and learning about all the people who come and visit each and every year. Some etch out family member names; others drop flowers to pay their respects for the men and women who lost their lives fighting in the Vietnam War.

You are looking at one of the most famous sites in Washington D.C: The Ford’s Theatre where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. He was shot in the Presidential Box straight ahead. Other artifacts at the theatre include the gun he was assassinated with and his bloodstained pillow.

Even though we had only hours to experience our Nation’s Capital I have to say it is one of my favorite cities. I hope to return one day with more time and to visit the zoo! Next stop ROME

A WILD November

These past few weeks have been incredibly busy for the animals and I. From our new weekly segment “Creature Feature” on Channel 6 to the adoption of two HUGE pythons, I’ve had barely time to sleep let alone think about writing a blog! That’s why I’ve decided it was time to share some of my most recent favorite highlights! Enjoy~

From now on, every Wednesday on Today’s Channel 6, the animals and I will be featured in a new segment called “Creature Feature.” Each week I will highlight a different animal. So far it has been quite a blast (as you can see on Lincoln Grave’s face)! To see our first segment with “Rocky” our Rock Python click here http://fb.me/u6N0bilO

Another amazing highlight of this month was meeting the legendary Bob Applegate. For those of you who are not familiar with Bob, he is the father of herpetoculture (the keeping of reptiles and amphibians in captivity). He has worked with all sorts of critters and has been keeping them longer than I’ve been alive! Bob and his wife drove up from Southern California to make an appearance at the Idaho Herpetological Society’s annual meeting on November 6th.

I’m sure you were wondering what huge python we were holding! This is “Aeriana” our 17 ½ foot Reticulated Python. She is the longest snake in Idaho and arguably the heaviest at 230lbs.

Several years ago she was rescued from a Seattle pet shop where she was living in a cold cramped cage. She even suffered a severe respiratory infection. She went on to live at our good friend’s house for several years and once they were expecting a baby they decided Aeriana would be a better fit for our Animal Ambassador Team. She is such a wonderful animal and we are hoping very soon to share her story with a national television audience. Keep checking back for updates! Ps. don’t mind my white socks!

Fox 31 Denver

Check out our recent appearance on Fox 31 News Denver! Click the link! http://corbinmaxey.com/http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/1646350/the_reptile_guy

Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium behind-the-scenes tour!!!

Just a few weeks ago while on the last leg of our national tour I had the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the world-renowned Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium located at the St. Louis Zoo. For the very first time, cameras were allowed to document my journey. Take a look at some of my favorite tour memories and highlights!

The herpetarium is home to hundreds of different species of reptiles and amphibians. Only a small fraction of them are on exhibit for the public…the rest are behind-the-scenes in secret hallways and rooms that were once walked by the famous Marlin Perkins!

The majority of the snakes that call the herpetarium home are venomous! In case of an accident, the zoo has an entire fridge FULL of antivenin.

Here is an up-close shot of King Cobra antivenin. (The fridge is conveniently located right behind the King Cobra exhibit)!!!

Here is the herpetarium’s kitchen where minimal food prep is done. The majority of the animals’ diets are made at a large separate kitchen then delivered directly to the herpetarium in the morning.

The zoo’s herpetarium has two levels. The top level is home to the exhibits on display for the public. The bottom level is home to hundreds of animals off-display for either breeding purposes or quarantine. Here I’m holding one of my favorite creatures; the Alligator Snapping Turtle! This turtle was off exhibit on the lower level.

Right behind the Alligator Snapping Turtles was a large Cuban Crocodile. The zoo is planning on putting the crocodile on display once an exhibit is constructed.

Here I’m pictured with my tour guide Matt and a Fly River Turtle. The zoo has dozens of these turtles on and off exhibit. Please stay tuned for part 2 of my behind-the-scenes adventure!!!