Discover exotic animals up-close with educator Mr. Drew

By Erin Rose

Mr. Drew and His Animals Too will give children ages 3 years old and older a chance to interact with exotic animals during a presentation at Windham Middle School at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20.

Animal educator Mr. Drew and His Animals
Too will offer a free presentation at 2 p.m.
Tuesday, June 20 for kids ages 3 and older
at Windham Middle School. The event is
sponsored by the Windham Public Library.
COURTESY PHOTO  

“If it’s cute and fluffy, we do not do it,” said Andrew Desjardins, also known as Mr. Drew, the owner and operator of the exotic animal rescue that has a facility and visitor center in Poland. “We take in the creepy, crawly creatures that many people are scared of, so snakes, insects, lizards, turtles, some fish and birds.”

The creatures that the animal rescuer will bring to the 60-to-75-minute presentation will be determined on the day, depending on what animals are ready to greet people.

“Some days, some animals are not feeling like being out for the day, and I respect that,” Desjardins said. “I also have to take in feeding schedules, digestion times, temperatures, and schedules of other shows.”

The first of two free presentations sponsored by the Windham Public Library, children in attendance will receive “edutainment,” Desjardins said, a mix of “education and entertainment.”

“I often tell people that I have the best seat in the house as I get to watch the faces of the children, and see that excitement and curiosity in their eyes,” he added, noting that the second presentation will be Wednesday, July 15.

Children will have a limited opportunity to have hands-on experience with some of the animals at the end of the presentation. Seeing children face their fears and learn to appreciate the animals is part of the enjoyment for the passionate presenter.

“My favorite reaction is the smile that comes to their face when their fear first fades away,” Mr. Drew said. “It is always a joy when they see something for the first time.”

“When they say they have only seen it on YouTube or when they say they have never touched one before, I tell them that they can never say that again,” he said.

Desjardins started giving presentations on exotic animals “by accident” one rainy weekend.

“We were seasonal campers at a local campground and the children were bored,” he said. “I lived fairly close by and got some animals to share with the children. A mom was there and when I was done, she asked if I could do a birthday party, and so it began.”

As time has gone on, Mr. Drew has learned tricks about traveling with the animals.

“No special equipment for the animals is required but maybe occasional heat packs in their containers for winter,” he said. “Feeding while traveling is not necessary and often tends to be more stressful for them.”

“Traveling was tricky in the beginning, but over time with forethought, I streamlined it to be very convenient,” Desjardin added.

Mr. Drew hopes that in addition to learning about these unusual animals, children will learn to respect all life and how fear can be tempered through education.

“Being scared is okay for it keeps us safe, but if you are scared, try to learn about it,” he said. “The more you learn about something, the less scared you will be.”

One of the most important lessons the educator wishes every attendee would carry with them is his “One Piece Challenge,” inspired by a visit to Pine Point Beach in Scarborough. After going to the trash can to throw away a plastic bag that ended up wrapped along his leg while in the waves, he noticed piles of trash next to the barrel.

“When I took the lid off, it was barely full,” he explained. “It was like they felt close enough was good enough and it really upset me that people were just simply being lazy.”

“I started seeing one piece here and there, and I would pick it up and go back to that barrel and spent the rest of my rare day off with my family, cleaning the beach,” Desjardins said.

He now ends every presentation with issuing a challenge to the children and adults in attendance in an effort to carry that mission forward.

“It is a simple way to remind people that even small things we do can make a big difference,” Desjardins said. “If I can get everybody on this planet to pick up one piece every day for one full year, then we will have picked up 2,920,000,000,000 pieces of trash, by simply picking up one piece every day for one year. If we pick up one piece today, we guarantee tomorrow will be a better day for you, me, the animals on the planet, and the planet itself,” he said.

While Earth Day may be a single day of the year, we all share the planet and can take simple actions to help care for it, the educator explained.

“It is the one thing we all have in common, this planet we live on,” he said. “It is our home and not a trash can.”

For more details about the Mr. Drew and His Animals Too presentations in Windham, visit the Windham Public Library website or email [email protected]. <