Free grand opening event for indoor interactive zoo to be held this weekend
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POCATELLO – A local couple who offer a traveling interactive animal experience are setting up shop in Pocatello permanently.
After twenty years of experience rescuing, training and traveling to educate about their animals, Nikki and Frank Jorgensen are opening up a location where they will run an indoor zoo called SRD’s Wild Reptile Adventure. The Jorgensen’s are holding a grand opening with free admission on Saturday for the public to come and learn about a variety of reptile species.
“They will learn lots of facts about not only the exotic species we have there but also about really awesome places around the world (where they’re from),” said co-owner Nikki Jorgensen.
The Jorgensens had five years of experience rescuing and training animals before they started SRD’s Traveling Animals, where they have educated audiences from all over the country about their animals for 15 years.
“We have been (running SRD’s Traveling Animals) all out of our little farm in south Pocatello,” Jorgensen said. “We go out to locations and travel, from North Dakota down to Nevada, all over the place.”
This new indoor zoo will have 25 different “animal friends” on display, with 17 different exotic species and 13 different kinds of reptiles, including lizards, snakes and even tortoises. While all the animals, besides the tortoises, are kept behind glass, many can be taken out for people to hold.
Like many other zoos, SRD’s Wild Reptile Adventure will educate visitors about the animals in its care. Jorgensen said she loves it when people come to inquire about an animal before they adopt it.
“We love to have those questions, because we can tell them just what they need to know about taking care of that particular animal (and) make it so they don’t end up in the rescue,” Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen’s educational background is in life sciences and biology, so it’s been important to her to ensure that the traveling zoo and this indoor zoo offer education to visitors.
“I just love to share the facts, and we have hundreds of facts up on the walls everywhere … about each individual animal that we have, and we will always have educated handlers on site that anybody can ask any questions they want,” Jorgensen said.
The indoor zoo will be located at 501 North Main Street in Pocatello. The grand opening will start at 10 a.m. and last until 6 p.m. During the event, there will be balloon twisting, face painting, a photo booth, and chair massages.
After Saturday, SRD’s Wild Reptile Adventure will operate from Monday through Friday, starting at noon and closing at 8 p.m.
General admission to the indoor zoo will only cost $2 per person, with no charge for children under two years old, and $5 for someone to hold an animal. In addition to this, they offer a variety of party packages.
In addition to the animals that have found a permanent home at the indoor zoo, some will be available for adoption.
While the Jorgensens plan to keep traveling and showing animals to audiences across the country, they plan to scale that back and get more time at home while they run this new venture.
“We’re just excited to have a location and indoor setting here in Pocatello,” Jorgensen said.
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