Painting With Snakes (and the Fireball Run)!

Being a non-profit organization, our museum is largely supported by public admission and generous donations from benevolent individuals and corporations. The money brought in is used to buy food and supplies for our many animals, fund vet medications and supplies, pay for new enclosures, aid our conservation fund, facilitate building maintenance, and provide a salary for our dedicated staff of keepers. Yet, no matter how much money we bring in, there is always more on our wish list; there is always something more we can do for the animals and the facility, and any extra money goes towards these additional goals. Once in a while, in order to fund a new project or raise funds for an animal, we put together a special sale or event to raise money. Sometimes we hold large raffles for our guests, with businesses generously donating amazing prizes like free dinners and vacations. Artists of all kinds have donated their creative works to be sold on behalf of our animals. Keepers even prepare special art pieces for the public...pieces created by our own animals! Some of our critters are quite adept at "finger painting" and, with the help of keepers, create some great pieces that are adored by the public. In order to raise funds for the herpetology department, we create our own reptile artworks: snake paintings!

No, no, no, not paintings of snakes! I mean paintings that are painted by snakes! 

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Not sure why the camera's date was so far off; this was taken in 2015!

Painting with snakes is definitely an unusual hobby, and a lot of effort goes into creating these rather unorthodox works of art. The snakes are put in a small bin containing a little bit of non-toxic, animal safe paint, before being put on a canvas or piece of construction paper. Once on their canvas, the snakes are allowed to move on their own accord, creating some rather cool patterns as they slither about. By using a variety of colors, and painting with different snakes in a variety of sizes and different scale shapes, we create some truly interesting animal masterpieces?

"How do the snakes feel about being used as living brushes?"

A lot of care goes into making sure the activity is safe for our animals; when done correctly, our snakes even seem to enjoy the process (seriously). As bizarre as it seems, this exercise is a form of enrichment: the snakes are being exposed to an unfamiliar activity and environment, and that encourages thought and exploration. We don't use any means to "make" the snakes paint either; we don't press down on them or stamp different patterns, rather we let them move independently to create their masterpiece. Vet techs and keepers handle each snake to be sure their eyes and mouths are kept far from the paint, and following the activity, each is thoroughly bathed to remove any remaining residue. As I already stated, the snakes don't seem to dislike the paint; our vet tech has pointed out that it likely feels as though they are crawling through warm mud, an environment they aren't generally exposed to in captivity. (This activity is of course sanctioned by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the USDA).

In 2015, our museum was presented with an exciting opportunity. We were contacted by the producers of a TV show called the Fireball Run. The Fireball Run is a lot like the Amazing Race, but on a slightly smaller scale; contestant teams have to solve riddles to find their next destination, where they will have to complete a certain task before moving on (generally up and down the East Coast). We were asked to participate in their 9th season, by preparing an activity for the contestants to complete upon their arrival. We, of course, chose snake painting as their challenge!

Here I help two contestants paint using an Eastern Rat Snake.

For the safety of the animals, each snake was predominantly handled by a vet technician or herpetology keeper. As our policy dictates, the contestants were able to handle part of the snake to create their masterpiece (it's standard practice that we never surrender control of the animals' head, for the safety of the snake and the guest). As some contestants were of course nervous of snakes, this also allowed us to keep the animals calm even in the hands of some less-than-sure artists.

All contestants were able to complete the task safely and efficiently, and we even managed to ease a few snake fears in the process! The contestants were incredibly generous, donating their paintings to the museum to be sold at an upcoming event!

Our dedicated herpetology staff and our artists!

All episodes of the Fireball Run can be viewed online or on Amazon Prime (this is season 9, episode 10).

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