EAST TEXAS REVIEW (Longview, Texas) 28 November 07 Snakes to charm Discovery audiences (Kelly Bell)
Ever since Satan entered into one in the Garden of Eden snakes have been receiving bad press. Most people regard the legless, slithering reptiles as unholy, scary and just plain petrifying. Fictional movie character Indiana Jones captures humanity’s universal attitude with his distressed words, “Snakes! Why does it have to be snakes?” Somehow, they just do not look right.
Herpetological humorist Daryl Sprout says these immaculately clean animals that take a hefty bite out the populations of mankind’s ancestral rodent enemies deserve a much better reputation. For this reason he has organized his fascinating Snake Encounters program, which will be at Tyler’s Discovery Science Place on Friday, November 30 at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 1 at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
During the presentation’s intriguing and hysterically funny 45 minutes Sprout showcases the grace, beauty and inoffensive nature of his personal serpentine pets, featuring a 12-foot Burmese python. He informs his audience of his own, positive personal experiences with snakes and about too-little-known aspects of their lives and homes. It is a hands-on show that permits those in attendance to actually hold his animals. A native Texan, Sprout has helped multitudes conquer their Indiana Jones-type fear of snakes.
“There is no subject humans are more misinformed about than snakes,” he said. “It’s only the tip of the iceberg that many people think the only good snake is a dead snake--a commonly learned response. Normally there’s no reason to be afraid of them. It’s a fear that can cause collisions with stationary objects. Usually people who are bitten by a snake are trying to provoke it or kill it. Eight out of ten snakebite victims were trying to kill the snake at the time.”
He is also clear on why his presentations are so popular nowadays.
“These days fewer and fewer kids are burdened with this phobia because they rarely see snakes in the wild, so they squeeze in front at the show while some of the grownups sit in the back--fascinated but grimacing,” he said. “People have become more aware of the vital niche [snakes] fill in the environment.”
Because Sprout is so careful about getting his facts correct his program is extremely informative, but his audiences are usually having so much fun they do not realize how much they are learning. His performing style has been called a cross between the late crocodile hunter Steve Irwin and comedian Steve Martin. The crowds that watched him and his serpents in Southern California described him as the “George Caitlin of Herpetology.” The Las Vegas Sun gushed, “Sprout may be the only living standup comic snake handler in the world! Not only was his show educational--it was humorous!”
Teaching his listeners the many poorly known truths about snakes is his main objective, and keeping people tickled is a surefire way to keep them coming--and staying.
“During my show I’ll take questions, explain the difference between poisonous and venomous, and address the many enduring myths about snakes that most people take for common knowledge,” he said. “In the process I bring out all different types and sizes from all over the world, and poke a little fun at all the misinformation we tend to carry around on this topic. I specialize in The Truly Petrified.”
He even throws in a few magic tricks to keep his audiences pleasurably off-balance and surprised. Sprout’s methods have worked well during his appearances on Animal Planet, Discovery Networks and the State Fair of Texas. He has taken his show to Los Angeles, Dallas, Lubbock, McAllen and Huntsville, Alabama. Audiences on the Las Vegas Strip’s Riviera absolutely loved his act.
For more information on Snake Encounters visit www.SnakeEncounters.com or call (903) 533-8011. The Discovery Science Place is a hands-on interactive facility training young, 21th Century minds the fascinating and valuable disciplines of science, technology, math and various cultures from its location at 308 N. Broadway in downtown Tyler. Special events such as Sprout’s, along with grants, donations, admissions and memberships support the facility.
Snakes to charm Discovery audiences