Snake Lady- Jenni Dunning

Eleven-year-old Darek Szarkowski has a tarantula on his head.

“Do you like my hat?” he asks a group of pre-schoolers who stare wide-eyed at the fuzzy creature.

On a stage behind him are 15 clear, plastic cages holding snakes, spiders, amphibians and reptiles. These creepy crawlies were at the Children’s Museum May 19 as part of an interactive presentation by Val Williams, known as the Snake Lady, about animals and the environment.

Darek’s mother, Barb Szarkowski, of London, said he has always been interested in reptiles.

He has attended more than 50 of Williams’ shows, she said, and he was asked to volunteer as her assistant about four years ago because of his enthusiasm for snakes.

But don’t call him a reptile expert just yet.

“I only know a small fraction of whatever there is to know about these animals,” said Darek, who has snakes, frogs, dwarf hamsters, a snapping turtle, a gerbil and fish as pets.

His love of reptiles helped cure his mother’s fear of them, though.

“It was (Darek’s) turn to hold the boa constrictor (at one of Williams’ shows) and I think it weighed as much as he did,” said Barb. “He’s a bit of a stubborn child so he insisted that I come over to touch the snake. . . . It wasn’t slimy and it wasn’t what I expected.”

Parts of Williams’ shows deal with breaking down stereotypes of snakes as scary and to describe how they are an important part of nature.

“There is absolutely no reason to kill a snake,” said Williams. “My dad taught me never to kill a creature on this earth, unless you’re raising a cow for dinner.”

Williams has hosted her show at the museum for the past 10 years, the last five on a monthly basis.

Her personality is as colourful as her clothing. She wore a sparkly leopard-and-tiger-print blouse and khaki pants. Before introducing any animals she told the audience to be friendly to the environment.

“We hear a lot of bad things about planet Earth and it’s concerned me ever since I was a little girl,” she said. “It’s the only home we’ve got so remember to do kind things to it.”

She speaks easily to groups of children about habitats as she feeds small, white mice to two snakes.

Williams’ interactive style is part of what makes her such a huge draw for the museum and a crowd of 50 people is not uncommon at one of her shows, said public programs manager Amanda Branton.

Parents also appreciate the educational aspects of her shows, said Barb, who views them as important to the environment’s future.

“The world needs all these creatures and it needs the young people to protect them,” she said.

Two days before his 12th birthday, Darek said he wants to teach people about animals by creating a solar-powered reptile and amphibian zoo when he grows up.

“I really like animals and I (want to) show the people that these animals aren’t scary,” he said, adding he wants to open the zoo on an island in Canada.

“Or maybe in the United States so I can save on heating bills,” he said.

Sitting quietly among the cages of reptiles, watching nearby children gaze at the animals, Darek is on his way to learning more about and befriending reptiles – just ask the garter snake wrapped around his neck.