Second annual All Alaska Reptile & Exotics Expo held in the Valley with large turnout

WASILLA — The 2021 All Alaska Reptile & Exotics Expo saw a large turnout Aug. 7 at the Menard Sports Center.

Hosted by the Reptile Barn out of Anchorage, this annual expo is designed to promote the state’s reptile and exotic pet community. This year’s event featured over dozen different vendors, including local breeders, veterinarians, suppliers, and rescue organizations.

This huge gathering was a chance for the public to interact with live reptiles and other exotic pets like pythons, boa constrictors, snakes, lizards, geckos, bearded dragons, axolotls, alligators, and tarantulas. There were multiple educational presentations and family activities throughout the event.

Jonathan’s Reptiles owner, Jonathan Huntington said that her organization helped put the event on and she was very encouraged by the large participation rate from the reptile community and pleasantly surprised by the high turnout of visitors eager to learn more about the fascinating animals they work with throughout the year.

“It was pretty amazing. We had an incredible turnout,” Huntington said. “We had all kinds of critters there, some for adoptions, some for educational programs throughout the day… Which is an incredible opportunity and it’s great for the community’s growth. The more people you have breeding feeders and providing animals, and rescue, and education, the better the whole community is in general and the better our animals are.”

Jonathan’s Reptiles is a Valley-based rescue and rehabilitation that caress for local reptiles and other exotic pets, offering private parties and educational events at a variety of venues across the community throughout the year to fund their efforts.

Huntington praised the Reptile Barn for creating this annual event that brings the local reptile and exotic pet community together to share their passion and insight with the public, raising awareness for proper pet care, adoptions, and all the fun and fascinating facts about a variety of unique species that can be owned in Alaska. She said the expo is a huge step forward for the state and she looks forward to being a part of it each year.

“They’ve been doing amazing things for bringing the reptile community together and making things more accessible to people in the hobby locally. So, just the way that the community has evolved over the last couple of years has been insane. It’s been amazing to be a part of,” Huntington said.

The first expo was held at the Kincaid Chalet in 2019, according to The Reptile Barn co-owner, Colin Lindsey.

“We’re trying to get the reptile and exotic animal community in general more momentum. We’re so isolated from the rest of the hobby and the rest of the country just because of our geography. It’s nice to get everyone together for networking so there’s a lot more community understanding of what we do. Very few people even realize probably that there’s dozens or even hundreds of people breeding these animals right here in Alaska,” Lindsey said.

Lindsey said that he enjoyed having the opportunity to hold the event at the Menard Sports Center and hopes to return there next year. He said that many people have requested having two expos per year, noting that they could possibly hold an Anchorage and Valley event during varying seasons.

Lindsey said that local organizations like Jonathon’s Reptiles are critical components to the reptile and exotic pet community. He said that he appreciated having groups like Huntington’s involved in their expo, and he hopes to hold a bigger and better event each year.

“For any reptile community, a high functioning rescue is an absolute necessity. We’ve known Jonathon for several years and they are excellent, a really, really crucial part of the reptile hobby… It’s crucial and such a huge relief for me… I could not speak more highly of Jonathan’s Reptiles. They do a really good job,” Lindsey said. “It’s been interesting for me as an organizer of the expo. Some of these vendors, in another industry you would call them competitors… but they’re all extremely dedicated to growing the hobby up here and educating people and providing a huge variety of goods, animals, and services.”

For more information about Jonathon’s Reptiles, visit jonathansreptiles.com

For more information about The Reptile Barn, visit thereptilebarn.com

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com