There were stickers and a raffle but there was also a giant bunny, a boa constrictor, a python and an alligator snapping turtle at the Recreation Department’s Spring Fling event in the new library.
More than 100 people were at the event presented by the Recreation Department and Mayor Susan McCartney on March 28 at the West Orange Library. Though this is the tenth year the West Orange Library hosted a Spring Fling, it was the first in the new location.
“Let them all see it,” said Candy Myrick, special events coordinator. “Come out, have a nice time, and get registered for a library card.”
Dean Delpeche, of West Orange, has been working for the Department of Public Works for 15 years. He’s been dressing as the Easter Bunny for the past three years for Spring Fling. He also dresses as Santa Claus for the West Orange Tree Lighting each year.
“I’m a loving, caring person,” he expressed. “I put smiles on kids’ faces.”
“He’s really soft,” said 6-year-old Elizabeth.
“And so fluffy,” added her 4-year-old brother Theo.
Haniya, 7, liked the bunny too, while her brother Hamid, 5, was looking forward to the reptile show. “I love lizards,” he said enthusiastically.
The World of Reptiles Show was presented by Erin Mellini, zookeeper and senior instructor of Snakes-n-Scales, an educational service and reptile rescue in Randolph.
“Reptiles are not many people’s favorite animal,” Mellini said. “I’m here to help you understand them. People tend to not like reptiles because they’re not furry. They are sweet, gentle animals, when you get to know them. To them, we’re giant, scary monsters.”
Jennifer Slow-Pez was a tortoise who was handed over to Snakes-n-Scales when she stopped eating.
“They were feeding her hot dogs and chicken nuggets. It was making her sick,” Mellini said. “Tortoises eat fruits and vegetables.”
The tortoise had bumps on her shell from eating the wrong foods. “They don’t hurt her,” Mellini explained. “But they won’t go away.”
Mellini encouraged the audience to “do your research before you get them as pets.” A tortoise will live to 70 or 80; and some even twice as long.
Rocky Balboa was a six-foot -long boa constrictor weighing 40 pounds. Someone found him in their backyard.
“People think letting a snake go is a nice thing to do,” Mellini said. “Letting them go in New Jersey is not good for them. They have to stay hot all the time.”
She further explained that snakes shed once a month and feed once a month. The 4-year-old boa eats three or four large frozen animals such as rats.
Chopper was an alligator snapping turtle. He kept his mouth open during the entire presentation. Mellini explained he was “hoping to catch a fish inside his mouth, using his tongue like a lore.”
The turtle was an abandoned pet, found in someone’s yard. Mellini estimates that he’s between 10- and 15-years-old. But alligator snapping turtles can live up to 200 years. He is fed mice. “In the wild, they eat fish and other turtles,” Mellini said.
Lemonhead was the grand finale, a Burmese albino python, one of the largest snakes on the planet. Lemonhead was a young one — and a small one. Mellini explained that they are not to be held on both shoulders because they could squeeze people. After the presentation, children were invited to touch Lemonhead.
Visit the West Orange Public Library at: https://www.wopl.org/.
Reptiles and a rabbit at Spring Fling added by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta on
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