Reptile Gardens is located just outside of Rapid City. Don’t let the name fool you -- there’s a lot more going on here than just snakes! Reptile Gardens has an impressive collection of lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs, and birds. You’ll also get to meet Maniac, an enormous crocodile from Australia.
If you’re a fan of the Crocodile Hunter (which I was and remain), you’ll love the alligator shows. When Ruud and I visited, Travis was our alligator wrestler. I learned that even though alligators have nearly 2,000 pounds of closing force in their jaws, they have only about 20-40 pounds of opening pressure -- so if you can get the jaw shut, it's not hard to keep it shut. In fact, Travis said that "any average adult" can do it, so I'm now pretty confident in my alligator control skills.
After the alligator show, we went to the bird show, which wasn't as impressive. I still enjoyed the chatty macaws (even though the script was lame and poorly acted by the bird handlers) and the beautiful bald eagle.
Travis was the handler for the snake show, as well, and he started with a large boa before he moved on to the poisonous snakes. One by one, he showed off those dangerous reptiles. I was most impressed by the cobra -- and I learned that although they have deadly bites, their strike is very slow. He struck at Travis' boot a couple of times, and it looked like slow motion. Travis also gave a lot of information about the prairie rattlesnake -- the only poisonous snake native to South Dakota. I already knew quite a bit about those already, as they were a constant consideration as I grew up on the ranch.
We went through the little jungle and saw several birds and lizards as well as some beautiful plants. My favorite part, though, was the collection of poisonous snakes.
Reptile Gardens has one of the best collections in the world. There are several snakes on display there that aren't displayed anywhere else! Even though Australia doesn't export its animals, Reptile Gardens has a special relationship with the Aussies that has allowed them to accumulate several Australian species. Each snake has a little card with information beside it, which includes info on how poisonous the snake is. One card said that there was enough venom in that snake's bite to kill 15 people! (It would be handy if I could remember what snake that was...) Unbelievable -- I mean, really, what kind of animal is that thing trying to take down that it needs that much poison?
Also interesting were the pictures of an untreated rattlesnake bite and the written accounts of what it feels like to be bitten by various poisonous snakes -- none of them pleasant.
Admission was $12.50, and we spent nearly four hours at Reptile Gardens -- and I loved it even though I've been there before. Make it a must-do.
From journal My Black Hills