DAILY SENTINEL (Grand Junction, Colorado) 28 July 05 No soup for you: Turtle saved by reptile show (Emily Morris)

Spartacus is 100 years old. But he hasn’t mellowed with old age; you get too close and he might snap your hand off.

Spartacus is an Alligator Snapping Turtle. The largest freshwater turtle species in North America, he could live more than 150 years, owner Danny Connor said to the crowd sitting in the grass at the Mesa County Fairgrounds Wednesday afternoon.

Spartacus is part of Connor’s Reptile Adventures show, currently in Grand Junction for the Mesa County Fair.

Connor’s base is an 11-acre reptile sanctuary in Texas, but he and his assistant, Riley Campbell, travel to schools, fairs, and other events with their reptile menagerie. They educate and entertain the public with a laughter-filled show and offer them a glimpse of the exotic.

“You might get killed by a snake, but take my word for it, you will never be eaten by a snake,” Connor said, explaining the mechanics of a snake’s jaw. “Now isn’t that reassuring?”

Connor and Campbell traveled to Grand Junction with about 30 reptiles. They will leave with 31. Someone is giving them a Spectacled Caiman, a crocodile species they can no longer take care of, Connor said.

“We got Dayton from a girl in Dayton, Ohio,” Connor said, showing off a 6-foot alligator. “We get people’s pets all the time.”

Hoping to encourage responsible pet ownership and an appreciation for reptiles, Connor and Campbell taught the mostly young crowd interesting and fun facts about various reptiles. There are some unpleasant lessons, too.

Connor bought Spartacus at a meat market in Louisiana. The 110-pound turtle is considered a delicacy in New Orleans and could have yielded about 35 pounds of meat for soup.

“Now does that sound right? One hundred years for 35 pounds of meat?” Connor asked. “If you are ever in a restaurant that has turtle soup, don’t eat it. As a matter of fact, tell them you don’t want to eat at an establishment that serves turtle soup, and leave.”
Turtle saved by reptile show

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• CO Press: Turtle saved by reptile show - W von Papineäu, Thu Jul 28 06:57:25 2005