Who would have guessed that I’d be working with reptiles and spiders, let alone own my own zoo? Not me! Growing up, I was always a big animal lover, but never really liked reptiles, and was terrified of spiders. That was, until I met Little RayJ He didn’t have any pet reptiles when we first met, and maybe things would be different if he did (ha, ha). If you’ve met Little Ray, you know what an incredibly passionate teacher he is, and how contagious his enthusiasm is. It was only a matter of time before I fell in love with these misunderstood animals and not to mention Little Ray himself. Our collection of critters grew from just a handful of scaly friends in our basement, to what it is today (and it’s still growing). My schooling background has nothing to do with animals, but I always joked that I went to the “School of Little Ray”.
When the zoo finally opened in 2000, I left a job I loved as the general manager at East Side Mario’s Nepean (miss you guys), to become a full time zookeeper. I’ve been working with, and caring for all sorts of reptiles, amphibians & arachnids for over 15 years now, and I LOVE IT!
Our business has grown so much in the last few years that I very rarely get to work with the animals. When I do, it’s usually with the arachnids (yes, I have long overcome my fear) and our collection of venomous snakes. Now my primary responsibilities are administrative, but I still like to get my hands dirty every now and then.
Business for self is a lot of work, but it is worth every minute. I get to work with animals and children all day long. How could it get any better?