On Monday, workers at Fresno’s Discovery Center examined some of their newest residents. Inside plastic jars were a total of eight tarantulas and storage tubs were filled with heavier freight in the form of two snakes.
“This is Jeffrey here. He's a Red Tail Boa Constrictor and seems like a pretty friendly guy here,” said Ian Goudelock of The Discovery Center.
Kyle Walker and Vanessa Martin donated the reptiles and spiders after hearing and seeing last week's devastating news of an overnight break-in at the museum.
“It's important that the community have learning experiences like this for the children,” said Dora Wade, longtime visitor of the center.
Last Thursday, a cinder block was used to shatter the glass of a window and display cases were smashed open. Security cameras caught the thief in the act and showed him ransacking reptile tanks and yanking out a total of three snakes, a boa constrictor and a couple of pythons. The young man shoved them all into a backpack before finally wrestling with a Savannah Monitor Lizard and forcing it into a waste basket.
Thanks to some children, police later identified and arrested 21-year old Devin Madej.
With three of the stolen reptiles recovered and the delivery of some new ones, The Discovery Center is quickly regrouping.
“It's sad how it all happened, but it's a nice thing how people felt they could come together and help us out for sure,” said Goudelock.
Workers say getting more animals is great, but they're running out of room to put them, so the donation of reptile tanks would be greatly appreciated.