Southbury Parks and Recreation welcomed an unforgettable guest today.
Participants in the Parks and Rec Clubhouse program got to meet Maleficent, the endangered, non-venomous, and stunning eastern indigo snake.
The hands-on session offered a close-up look at one of North America’s most fascinating and threatened reptiles.
Maleficent is one of the many snakes owned by Lexi Polasek, the department’s Assistant Director.
Families learned about the eastern indigo’s important role in the ecosystem and how they are one of the most intelligent species of snakes.
“Without snakes, our entire world would be overpopulated with rats and mice,” explained Polasek. “They’re very curious, adaptable, and smart.”
Fearless curiosity turned into the thrill of holding and interacting with a live snake, a first for many of the young conservationists in the making.
In 1978, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the eastern indigo snake as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Males commonly reach 7 to 9 feet in length, with females being slightly smaller.
The Southbury Record 