Discovery Reptiles is a traveling zoo in Naples, Florida. Its collection includes some of the most endangered reptiles on earth. Discovery Reptiles was founded in 2009, and started with just four animals. They had two Red Tailed Boa Constrictors Boa constrictor, an Asian Water MonitorVaranus salvator and an African Rock MonitorVaranus albigularis ionidesi. Over the course of 2010 Discovery Reptiles slowly added to their animal collection with the addition of a Caiman Lizard Dracaene guianensis and Rhinoceros Iguana Cyclura cornuta which is listed as Threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN. The main purpose of the zoo is to educate the public on conservation and the importance of biodiversity; in order to do that it wanted to add an animal that would capture the attention of audiences around Southwest Florida. Discovery wanted an animal not found in the Southwest Florida region or commonly found in zoos, so they added a young female Yellow Anaconda Eunectes notaeus.
More species and more rescues
With the addition of a Yellow Anaconda, the zoo started gaining popularity and was able to acquire more animals to their collection, but there was a slight twist. Instead of purchasing new animals from breeders Discovery Reptiles decided to rescue and rehabilitate unwanted animals and sick animals. They were able to rescue Sulcata Tortoise Geochelone sulcata, Jungle Carpet Pythons Morelia spilota cheynei, Coastal Carpet Pythons Morelia spilota mcdowelli, a Borneo Blood Python Python curtus breitensteini, an Argentine Black and White Tegu Tupinambis merianae, Amazon Tree Boa Corallus hortulanus, Bull Snakes Pituophis catenifer sayi, Corn Snakes Pantherophis guttatus guttatus, Hog Nose Snake Heterodon nasicus, Hog Island Boa Boa constrictor imperator and many more. They also added other animals, including a female Caiman Lizard to go along with their two male, critically endangered Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas Cyclura lewisi, and two endangered Louisiana Pine Snakes Pituophis ruthveni.