SNAKES ALIVE! Check out menagerie of cool reptiles in Westland
Kate Minnaar and Michael Wilson hold a a cow reticulated python morph.
Pythons and gators and crocs! Oh my!
It’s a jungle in there at 958 Newburgh Road in Westland, the new site of the one-of-a-kind (in southeast Michigan, at least) Great Lakes Serpentarium.
More than a 100 reptiles — ranging from venomous 18-foot-long pythons to slow-moving tortoises that will live up to 200 years — reside in the strip mall space sandwiched between a Z Spot Fitness Studio and an insurance agency.
Don’t worry — they’re all safely stored in spacious cages and glass-walled compartments.
Following a grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony presented by the Westland/Livonia Chamber of Commerce, the unique reptile-dominated zoo is the brainchild of co-owners/boyfriend-and-girlfriend Michael Wilson and “Crocodile” Kate Minnaar, whose goal is to introduce their menagerie of off-the-charts-cool reptiles to people in southeast Michigan and beyond.
Serpentarium promotes its unique pets
The Serpentarium was formerly located in White Lake, Wilson said, but had to relocate when the Oakland County community became disenchanted with the educational business.
“For whatever reason, White Lake didn’t want us anymore and Westland opened its arms to us,” Wilson said. “Westland understands we’re all about promoting the well-treated animals we have and using them for educational purposes for our guests. Everybody in Westland has been very welcoming.”
Wilson, who said he’s been intrigued by venomous creatures since he was in middle school, said Minnaar’s knowledge of every reptile in the serpentarium is boundless.
“Kate knows every species inside and out,” he said Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours before its ribbon cutting. “In fact, she’s out right now picking up plaques that will be placed on each cage and compartment, identifying and explaining what each animal is and what it’s known for.”
Extraordinary eating habits
Wilson explained he recently fed a snake to a massive King Cobra, which eats just once a week on average.
Another large snake recently devoured a large rabbit — deceased, of course — that was shipped to the Great Lakes Serpentarium from the Cold Blooded Cafe, an Illinois business that supplies businesses like Wilson’s and Minnaar’s with appropriately-raised food for their unique pets.
“I’ve put everything I have into this place, so I’m hoping at the very least it pays for itself,” Wilson said. “We will be open to the public most days except Tuesdays and Thursday, when we host private events and birthday parties — or if someone wants to go through venomous snake training.
“When we give guests tours, we’ll pull out some of the smaller pythons and safe animals. Depending on the group, we may pull out some smaller alligators that visitors can pet. If it’s a group of small kids, we won’t pull out the alligators.”
Wilson said the admission fees is $5 for adults, $12 for middle school-aged kids and $10 for kids between 5 and tween-aged.
“The reason we’re charging an admission fee is because we have to have money to keep the lights on,” Wilson quipped.
Long road to opening has arrived
Wilson said they’ve been paying rent at the space for six or seven months while they navigated through governmental protocols and ordinances.
“Initially, dealing with our landlord was a little tough,” Wilson said, grinning. “He said, ‘You’re going to put what in here?!’ But we promise it would be safe and nice, so they’re cool with us now.
“We want to be more than a reptile house at the zoo, where you may be able to see a snake hiding in the corner and then you move on to the next exhibit. We want the guests to see a rattlesnake rattle and a cobra stand five or six feet tall and show off its hood. We want to get our guests’ blood pumping.”
Minnaar said she is “over the moon” excited to open the business.
“I can’t believe we’re finally at the point where we’re opening,” she said. “I still remember owning my first turtle when I was 12. My parents bought a little kiddie pool for it and everything. Ever since, I knew I wanted to do something along these lines.”
To learn more about the Great Lakes Serpentarium, check out its Facebook page here.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
