Groups of students stood with amazement and fear when a Herpetologist, Tom Kessenich, allowed these young scholars to handle his 4 year old American Alligator named Itty Bitty Gator. Students held, petted, and took photos with this surprisingly heavy reptile.
Kessenich had no fear that the students or the animals would get injured in anyway due to his 10 years of working with and handling alligators and other wild animals. Specializing in Herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians, Kessenich has saved, raised, and released many wild animals that people may think are scary or dangerous. He said, "most of the animals I have are donated to me by people who don't know how to care for them and that is one of the reasons why I do this program, to inform people that these animals are not dangerous."
Many of the students were a little timid to get near the animals, but fascination drove them to get a closer look. Morgan V. a Liberal Arts Major at AACC said, “This show is very interesting and I love most of the animals, but I'm afraid of the spider." Also this 18 year old student said, "It would be awesome to have more shows like this at the campus, maybe other wild animals like jungle cats."
This National touring program offers eye opening knowledge and amazing experiences to hold wild reptiles. The program also is available to do birthday parties and school programs of all ages. From alligators to huge Burmese Pythons Kessenich offers a variety of possibilities to get a hands on experience with wild critters.
Tom Kessenich and his American Alligator named Itty Bitty Gator
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