A snake exhibit at the nation’s largest Native American reservation zoo has been removed. Organization leaders felt they had to close the exhibit because it was deterring people from seeing other animals.
The Navajo Nation Zoo in Window Rock has had a snake exhibit for years, but they’ve seen it become less popular. Teachers have avoided taking school children near the snake exhibit, where other animals are also displayed.
In the Navajo culture, snakes are viewed as bad omens. Navajo people are encouraged not to watch them eat or shed their skin because it could affect their physical or mental health.
Zoo officials decided to eliminate the snake exhibit. The two bull snakes were shipped to a Utah aquarium and the rattlesnake went to a New York zoological society.
