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| - My mother is excellent at finding fun, educational opportunities for our family. She reserved us four spots on one of the "holiday tours" that the Phoenix Herpetological Society offers. Cost is $20 for adults and $15 for seniors. (I'm not sure how much children cost; we did not have any in our group.) It was advertised as being two hours in length. We like learning and animals, so we drove out to the desert (almost to Carefree) for the 11 am tour with excitement.
Our tour guide, Aaron, did a fantastic job explaining the mission of the animal sanctuary and teaching us all about the animals that we saw on the property. The PHS has been open for 15 years and cares currently for 1,800 animals. 80% of the animals are former pets (legally or illegally owned), and they work closely with Game and Fish to rescue animals. When zoos close, PHS takes in animals, and when PHS helps the animals become healthy enough to place in zoos, they do so. I now will never forget the difference between tortoises and turtles and crocodiles and alligators! I love that PHS works closely with schools and children's camps to promote animal education.
Our 11 am tour group had about 20 people in it, mostly seniors and children. Aaron talked loudly and made that people of all heights had an opportunity to see and touch (if desired) the animals that could be touched. He also provided helpful information like that if folks became a little claustrophobic in the venomous snake tank room that they could move outside to wait under shaded picnic tables for the crocodile and alligator part of the tour.
It is clear that the owners of PHS and the tour guides and volunteers have such a heart for rescuing and caring for animals. Yay! The downside is that tour guide might not stick to the schedule. As a fellow educator, I know that it can sometimes be hard to keep one's excitement for whatever one is teaching in check. But one has to do it! At the 1 pm mark, we were only just starting the crocodile and alligator part of the tour, and by 1:30 pm, my parents and my boyfriend and I were getting hangry and had reached our max of learning about crocodiles and alligators. Thankfully we were able to find our way out of the maze of outdoor animal environments and leave the tour early, but this meant that we missed seeing the barn of non-venomous snake tanks. Alas, those were the animals that my boyfriend most wanted to see!
I understand that many of the non-holiday tours are 3 hours in length, but this one was described as being 2 hours. So plan accordingly when you book your tour, and be prepared to stand and learn for whatever duration you choose! Anyone who is thinking about getting a turtle, tortoise, snake, or other reptile should definitely come here first before making a purchase for their sake and for the animal's sake.
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