Mr. Drew and His Animals Too Visits Troop 1447
March 16, 2023
Tarantulas, snakes, tortoises, and iguanas may not be the typical attendees that Troop 1447 is used to seeing at their monthly meetings, but for Mr. Drew And His Animals Too—stopping by the troop’s headquarters with some exotic creatures was an average day on the job.
“I had seen Mr. Drew at a previous kids’ event and I love how he educates the audience about seemingly scary creatures. He always brings an assortment of different rescued animals with him,” said Troop Leader Kate Riggs.
Mr. Drew is a rehabilitator and outreach program director for injured, neglected, and unwanted exotic animals. Now based in the Lewiston area, Mr. Drew has been involved in the pet industry for more than 30 years. Through Mr. Drew And His Animals Too programs, groups and clubs can learn about various species that they wouldn’t normally be able to interact with locally.
According to Kate, some of the Daisies, Brownies, and siblings were initially squeamish at the thought of touching a cockroach or tarantula, but over time, they came around.
“It was so awesome to see some of the girls go from being very nervous in the beginning to actually holding a snake! Our girls loved learning about all the creatures, and so did the parents,” said Kate.
Throughout the session with Mr. Drew, attendees got the chance to pet, hold, and even wrap some of the animals around their bodies.
Katie said, “This was just an amazing experience overall for the girls. There was so much education about the creatures, and it helped decrease fear and raise awareness for all walks of life. I highly recommend this experience for any troop!”
See more photos here.
