Taren and Easton Fregosi, owners of Reptile 101
Photo courtesy of Reptile 101 Facebook page.
MORVEN — Reptile 101, an educational mobile exhibit that travels between North and South Carolina, will be opening a brick and mortar location in Morven by mid-June.
“We do education and entertainment. Everything we do is hands on interaction, and we teach people about reptiles,” owner Taren Fregosi explained. “And because we currently serve North and South Carolina, we have a 24-foot trailer. It’s a car hauler that was converted into the reptile zoo and we haul it from the tope of North Carolina to the bottom of South Carolina.”
The decision to open a stationary reptile zoo came about as gas, and cost of living for the reptiles, prices rise. Owners Taren and her husband Easton saw opening the brick and mortar zoo as better for the animals and everyone, since they wouldn’t need to raise their prices in order to keep up with the rising costs.
“It doesn’t make sense for me to increase our prices to offset the cost of gas, food, living for the animals. It makes more sense to take on the overhead of a store,” Fregosi explained. “For now, it’s solely going to be a hands on reptile experience. We will charge a small admission to come into the zoo and look around.”
“We are strictly an educational company,” Fregosi continued. “Everything that we do is to benefit the animals in our care and hopefully some in the wild, because we do a lot of teaching about what you can do for your ecosystems, how to deal with snakes when you find them, stuff like that. So it is strictly going to be a reptile zoo.”
There are plans for the zoo to have large exhibits to hold 36 species of reptiles, arachnids, turtles, and tortoise, with a smaller one for mammals down the road, and eventually a full zoo, right here in Morven.
“We plan on having big, pretty exhibits that we’re planning on building,” Fergosi said. “We’re hoping to expand into having a micro-zoo in the building next door tat would house exotic mammals, and the 10 year plan would be an actual zoo.”
The Fregosi’s are avid animal and reptile lovers, often stopping along the road to move snakes and turtles out of harms way, like they had just done a few weeks ago with a large timber rattlesnake they found sunning itself. The stopping to move reptiles, and other animals, out of the road is a large reason as to why they love, and chose, Anson County.
“Anything that’s on the road, we brake, stop, move them off. We actually had someone roll up on us moving a turtle a couple of weeks ago,” Fregosi began. “And he said ‘if I see one on the road, I get it too!’ And he stopped and waited for us to cross and then went on his way.”
“So we really do love Anson County and the kind of surrounding area for that,” she added.
The couple, who have lived in Anson County for five years now, explained that the county community has met them with open arms and excitement, with little negativity and overwhelming positivity.
“We’ve been met with a lot of really excited people and people who love what we do. And even if they don’t like reptiles, we don’t get a lot of hate out here,” Fregosi said. “It seems like everybody’s been pretty accepting of us bringing something like this out here.”
Much of that love is directed, and due to, their loveable and kind caiman (a small member of the Alligatoridae family), Hades.
“You can rub his face, you can hold him without tape. He is probably one of the calmest animals I’ve ever worked with,” explained Fregosi. “And he likes to snuggle, like he actually enjoys being held a certain way. He will shove his head right into your neck and curl up and press into you.”
Taren explained that Hades, and his loveable personality, changes the minds of many. He serves as an example that reptiles are can be just as sweet and loveable as a dog or a cat, and for many, the idea of a loveable alligator-like animal is something that only movie villain’s can obtain. Seeing Hades gives many a new outlook on reptiles.
“He knows his name is Hades, he knows how to act with children versus adults, and he knows when he’s being held by a kid,” she said.
Other popular animals include their 17 and 20 foot reticulated pythons, and a five to six inch wide pixie frog, the second largest frog species in the world.
Reptile 101 plans to open their stationary zoo by mid-June, and they are asking help from anyone who is willing to donate supplies. Since their opening in 2019, Reptile 101 has been a non-profit organization and every cent they earn goes right into care for the animals.
“I mean, we’re doing everything. Everything is DIY, everything’s us and a couple of friends who volunteered to help,” said Fregosi. “So we are asking for help. There are things that we are asking for, although we’re not asking without giving back.”
Those who donate will earn double store credit when they open. Reptile 101 is asking for donations of spray foam, pure silicone, tires, wood screws, and liners as well as extra hands.
“The other thing that we’ll be doing is we’re going to be offering a volunteer day and what we’ll do is have volunteers come out, who want to help us, and they’ll help build an enclosure,” Fregosi began. “And we’re going to let them name that enclosure for the animal that’s going to be living in it.”
Reptile 101 wants to bring something new and exciting into Anson County and the town of Morven, something for locals, and those passing through, to stop and come to and experience, and hopefully learn as well.
Reptile 101 can be found on their Facebook page and website at http://www.reptile101.com/. They can also be reached y phone at (704)-230-6207 and email at Reptile101booking@gmail.com.