You know, I come to the zoo every single week because of two young daughters, and this is our favorite place in the world to go to.

But I like the fact that the animals are usually behind a fence, that I don't really have to be as close to them.

But I'm here with Josh is the executive director and Josh we're talking about today.

So we decided to get some of the more creepier guests.

Yeah, every time we do the zoo boo!

Any kind of thing on the media, we have to bring out the creepy crawlies because that's the perfect time of year.

So not only do I have Luca the ball python here, which has so many phobias about snakes, but I also have this pretty cool guy.

So this is called a Madagascar hissing cockroach.

You said you wouldn't hold it, but I was going to try to talk you into maybe just one time.

Okay?

I was about to hold it for a second, but then it ran up your arm, went across your back right before we started.

I'd rather hold the snake all the way.

I'll let you touch the snake.

Okay.

You could hold the snake.

Okay.

There you go.

So what kind of world do we live in?

Well, I'd rather hold a python than a cockroach.

I also feel like you're holding these.

That's pretty cool.

I mean, that's pretty awesome, though.

I mean, people love snakes, and they they the kids love the cockroaches, and they won't hold it at first, but then once they get used to it, they start petting it.

Then I can get I can usually get a kid to hold the cockroach.

So yeah, I don't know what it is about me that I'd rather hold this.

It's an insect thing.

I think it's just it's how fast he moves.

Like, I like the fact that this doesn't move at all.

Exactly, exactly.

Until he wants to bite me.

But there's no venom or anything, right?

So, yeah.

Bites me.

It's just a bite.

Yeah.

Not with the ball pipe.

Okay.

But they're, they're constrictors, so they can strict their prey, so.

Okay.

Yeah.

And he's full grown.

So a ball pythons don't get as big as the huge pythons, you see.

So.

So he'll just trap me like he'll just try and squeeze me.

Okay.

Yeah.

But yeah, they're one of the many.

I mean, like, we like to bring the creepy crawlies out for zoo, but is one of our favorite events every year because it brings out anywhere from 14, 16,000 people over the two weekends.

We feel like it's a safe and fun way to do trick or treating around the zoo and get to see the animals.

Beautiful weather in the fall.

We decorate the zoo and all the fall, and this year we've changed up a few things, so we've been listening.

We get emails once in a while about how scary it can sometimes be to come to the zoo as a little kid and see the monsters around the zoo.

So we really decorated the zoo this year, Fall Fest.

And then there's a monster track.

So if you go to the gator deck and you want to go see the monsters, you can go through there.

But every kid doesn't.

It doesn't have to be around them.

So it's kind of a choice you can make.

And then even the tree trail is kind of softened up a little bit.

It's very fall feeling.

But then we'll still have our haunted train at night.

It's we do that on Friday and Saturday nights, and people love the haunted train, so every year just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

I'd be writing back, well, maybe your kid just isn't ready.

No, no, no.

But obviously there's like, that's what the zoo is for.

Like, it's for like, my daughter is three and then seven months old, so the seven months is oblivious.

But the three year old is so they're so emotionally aware of everything that the last thing you want to do is give anyone nightmares.

Exactly.

And we and we don't want that memory of that.

There's nothing worse than a kid comes to the zoo, and their memory of the zoo is scary.

And so we want to make sure that we cater to everybody.

So that's awesome.

You have to kind of choose your own adventure when you're here.

Yeah, that's a good call.

So what else can we see besides a python and a cockroach like, I mean, we'll be doing we'll have, I mean, most of the animals because the weather is so great is going to be out.

You'll be able to do the draft feeding.

You'll be able to see the bears running around the cafe if you go have lunch.

I mean, basically, I'm pretty much everything is still even the I mean, we've had such great weather.

Even the monkeys are still on the island, so it's great.

Yeah.

It should it should be a great event.

I think its head is starting to come out now.

Yeah, he's starting to come out a little bit and feel a pulsating on top of me.

Yeah, I love the feel of him.

Like there's something about it I know.

And I think that's, you know, that's why we had these ambassador animals.

I mean, people do, even though we call them the creepy crawlers when we bring them out for Halloween for fun.

It still has an education message because people do worry so much about snakes there.

It's one of the scariest parts for them.

So they, So to be able to get up close, it does change people's perceptions.

I think the scariest part of the zoo is the price of the lettuce to feed the giraffes.

And I'm just kidding.

You know what we always say?

You're not buying lettuce, you're buying an experience.

I'm like, can I bring my own?

Oh, God, it's starting to move.

All right, you can have it back here.

So, I liked it when it was.

No, I'm kidding, I we love it every single time.

Like we do everything.

The carousel, the train.

Like, I love the new train, the sound system, the everything on it.

Here comes the train now I think so, yeah.

It's like, I would seriously love to be a train conductor for one of the days.

A lot of people say that when they retire, they'd love to be come back to the zoo and work on the train.

So I'm sure it's staff favorite.

Like every staff was.

Probably go through the tunnel.

I love everything about this place.

It's just it continues to get better and better.

And I know like tell me a little bit about Zoo Boo before we move on to other things.

But what when does it run through?

Like, is it just till Halloween?

Does it stop on the.

So it just keeps changing every year.

So this year it's two weekends.

So it's going to be the next two weekends.

And it's going to it's a little zoo is Sunday.

So Sunday doesn't have the haunted train.

It runs during the day.

But Friday and Saturday we run 9:00.

So if you check our website has all the information pricing, we do have to charge a little bit for members.

It's one of the only events that we charge for members because believe it or not, we spend about $25,000 on candy to be able to serve people.

Candy.

Candy is a very expensive.

So people, I think, sometimes forget how expensive it is to to some work this as a nonprofit.

So but again it's always a fundraiser for the zoo.

So everything that comes into the zoo is going back into the zoo.

So I love it.

We got costumes.

So I think the first year, first weekends, I think superheroes, the second ones, villains and monsters.

So we're going to have characters here that you can meet and greet, which is always fun.

Last year we had the Witch sisters and that was fun.

And they'll be superheroes.

We had Superman and Spider-Man, and the kids always loved that.

So just trying to add stuff every year.

So no, it's great.

And again, the zoo just keeps expanding in different ways and it's really a phenomenal place to come to.

It's just so relaxing.

I love the size of it.

I love everything about this place, I really do.

I mean, I would gladly just be an ambassador for you and just go out and tell everyone about the zoo and tell me a bit like in the parking lot area when you see this, the new the new area.

Can you tell me about that where we're at with that as well?

Big Cat tracks is going to be done by the end of December, and that's the first expansion and recent history to the zoo.

And, you know, really the new animals will be the second year, but but it'll brand new habitats for the tigers and the leopards.

It's kind of the final phase that makes us a modern zoo.

It gets all the big cats out of cages and into what we consider modern exhibits.

But really, the expansion is going to be great.

The playground down there is going to be awesome.

So people are going to love that.

The big tunnel that tigers walk across with deer living under them.

And then you can see if you saw into the park.

The city is doing parking expansion right now, so it's just the area just keeps growing and growing.

So we're pretty excited.

I love it, I love it.

I've said it before because in my past, even as a kid, I never loved zoos that much.

I always felt like guilty leaving them because I always felt like it just wasn't.

Yeah, yeah, it wasn't like an animal, like what it seemed like would be natural for them.

And here it just feels like you've really gotten a great mix of what they need.

And I know there's so much more to the zoo in terms of, you know, preservation and differences conservation.

Yeah, I should say.

And but you've really made it feel like there's less barriers between you and the animals.

In a way, that's really the goal of a modern zoo is really.

And that's why we knew if we were going to be proud of our zoo here in South Bend, we had to be a modern zoo.

And you shouldn't be leaving a zoo feeling that you should be leaving feeling.

What can I do for the animals in the wild?

What did I learn?

What was the experience?

A great day with the family and we're transitioning to that now.

I'm not trying to start a rumor since we've got a couple of minutes left here, but it's smiley real okay because every time we've been over there, right.

My daughter loves smiley.

I'm like, I've never seen them move.

Now that's always a controversy.

He is real.

We have we have video of him leaving in the winter.

We'll have video of him going back in at for that for the winter time.

So.

Okay.

He's he's definitely real.

But that's what gators do.

They just float around I know I'm like sometimes I'm kind of tempted to like you know give them some bread.

Just know I know he he definitely moves okay okay.

All right.

Just want to confirm that for my daughter.

So and I know like this is obviously going on right now and over the winter you've started doing more things over the last few years.

So this year there's a few changes and a few new exciting things.

So are you still going to be opening every weekend?

Yeah we are.

And so yeah, every year we're changing.

So you know we always did our gift of lights.

We're actually for the first year taking a break from that.

So you know we have the big illuminate event that's happening.

So this year we're taking a break from Gift of Lights.

But we're going to be open every weekend after November 30th.

And for the holidays we'll be doing events in the lodge as we'll have Santa and different characters coming out on the weekends.

And then January, February, March will be open every single weekend for winter days.

So just an opportunity to come.

You can still feed the giraffe, see the lions inside, go in the learning center, experience the animals and just stay connected to the zoo where we used to just kind of close for the year.

Yeah, yeah.

And kind of lost people's attention.

So just trying to keep people connected.

Yeah.

Look at this.

I know he's we watch.

He'll go up around your back.

Look like that's that's disgusting to me like that.

You know, as I said, I'd rather the python kiss me than had this cockroach on my shoulder, so.

But no, that's great that you're doing that over the summer.

And of course, Santa will be a big hit as well.

Yeah, exactly.

All right.

Thanks so much for showing us around.

And good lord.

Yeah, we'll see you at two.

You're braver than I am.