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Video: Donovan indoor zoo could be Sudbury's best kept secret

Northern Exotics pet store hosts indoor zoo with 100 exotic animalsĀ 
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This veiled chameleon, native to the Arabian Peninsula, is among the 100 animals that calls the Northern Exotics zoo its home. Photo by Jonathan Migneault.

Tucked away near a quiet corner of Kathleen Street, Sudbury's Northern Exotics defies its nondescript exterior.

On a cool November day the first thing that hits you once you step through its doors is the heat the emanates from the pet store.

That heat makes Northern Exotics a comfortable home for the cold-blooded reptiles and amphibians that live within its walls. 

In December 2015, around the time Northern Exotics celebrated its second anniversary, owners Dennis and Cambie Epp used 4,000 square feet of space at the back of the building to create a zoo for abandoned and neglected exotic animals.

If you ask the Epps, their little zoo, which now features around 100 animals in 80 exhibits, is one of Sudbury's best kept secrets.

Check out the video below to see some of the animals in action as Epp explains some common myths about chameleons, snakes, tarantulas and monkeys.

Dennis Epp said he and is wife started the zoo to help end a cycle of pet abandonment he sees on a regular basis as a pet store owner.

“People buy exotics more out of an impulse,” he said. “They don't understand what they become. When that boa constrictor gets to five or six feet people think it's too much.

“A pet is not something you get bored with and just pass on or throw away. It's a commitment.”

Most of the animals in Northern Exotics' zoo were born and bred in Canada.

When those animals grew and became too much for their owners to handle they were abandoned, given away or mistreated. 

Epp said they have a Burmese python that was born in Sault Ste. Marie, but eventually grew bigger than a local bylaw allowed.

The python's original owner sold it to someone in Sudbury, who abused it.

“He was kept in a duffle bag,” Epp said. “He was stabbed a few times.”

One of Epp's friends bought the python from its Sudbury owner for $50 and donated it to Northern Exotics. 

Many of the zoo's other animals arrived there under similar circumstances.

Epp said their exhibits were built with the animals in mind, and try to recreate their natural environments. 

None of the zoo animals are for sale, Epp said. 

They include large reptiles like boa constrictors, anacondas, two alligators and a crocodile that are not recommended for most pet owners. 

The zoo also has a few mammals not native to Canada. They include an African crested porcupine named Priscilla, fennec foxes (native to North Africa and the smallest fox species) and squirrel monkeys. 

In addition to providing a safe home for the animals, the zoo's purpose is to educate the public about responsible pet ownership, conservation and biology.

“We want people to come in, meet some of the reptiles and see that they're not these crazed creatures that are out to get you,” Epp said.

Epp has a degree in environmental science, with concentrations in conservation biology and animal behaviour, he plans to put to further use with an unused space in the store he wants to use for monthly exhibits on topics like invasive species and different types of frogs. 

Passes to visit Northern Exotics' indoor zoo are $14 for adults. $12 for youths and seniors, and $10 for children. There are also special rates for families, large groups and classroom visits.

The store is located at 517 Kathleen Street.
 


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Jonathan Migneault

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