SubZero, an Argentine black and white Tegu catches are ride on Seth Butner’s back at the Nortonville Public Library.
by Bridget Weishaar
Scales and tails and fangs, oh my!
Most people would shy away from any animal associated with these words — unless perhaps you are Seth Butner.
Butner, 23, is the founder and co-owner of ATLAS Education LLC, Ozawkie.
The goal of ATLAS, an acronym for amphibians, turtles, lizards, arachnids, and snakes, is to provide “an enlightening” experience, which is just what Butner does each time he books an event. Butner doesn’t go at this adventure alone; his fiancée, Chaylin Haggett, 23, is a co-owner of the business.
Growing up, Butner remembers his family always having a love affair with animals of all species. There wasn’t a time they didn’t have a pet snake or two, some sort of a lizard, or a cat or dog. He even recalls raising a baby raccoon or squirrel on occasion.
TV icon Steve Irwin, known as The Crocodile Hunter, was also a staple in Butner’s childhood. He attributes much of his dream to following in the footsteps of Irwin and his daughter, Bindi. Irwin was an advocate for every species of animals up until his untimely death in 2006, when he was pierced in the heart by a stingray while filming in the Great Barrier Reef.
Such animals prompted Butner’s dream of one day becoming a veterinarian or a zookeeper. While the idea of becoming a veterinarian appealed to Butner, vets are usually called upon to care for the sick, and he knew he wanted to care for healthy animals.
Zookeeper was just out of reach when he discovered the amount of schooling involved.
It wasn’t until he took a job at Pet World in Lawrence that his love of the scaly, hairy, and slithery animals really took shape. The job allowed Butner to gain knowledge about different species without having to have a college degree or the financial debt associated with it.
Putting in more time and effort than he was being compensated for, Butner began researching ways to turn his love into a business of his own. He started on YouTube and eventually worked his way into reptile and snake groups on social media, which then led to breeders and live shows.
With the help and support of Haggett, ATLAS Education LLC, was formed in August 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Haggett will be the first to admit she didn’t care much for reptiles or snakes, but agreed to start small with a lizard. They purchased Dart, a club tail iguana, and since then their collection has grown. “She is still a part of the animal ambassador team today,” Haggett states. “She has grown beautifully and is doing wonderful.”
The mission of ATLAS Education is simple — “to educate the public on arachnids, turtles, lizards, amphibians, and snakes, as well as to help change the world’s perspective on them.”
The duo isn’t asking people to be less scared of such animals, but to educate people on the role of them in our lives. “I want people to know how much they impact the world around us and understand that they do something good in our environment, even if you are afraid of them,” Butner said.
Besides birthday parties and educational visits to local libraries and the such, Butner and Haggett also offer removal of unwanted snakes or reptilia. Also, if you prefer not to be up close and personal with the animals but still want to gain the educational aspect, a private Zoom package is available for purchase.
Currently the couple houses just over 30 animals, nine of them being baby albino geckos.
The smallest animal in the collection is Camilla, the desert hairy scorpion, at just over 1 inch in length. The largest is Arty, a 2½-year-old, 10-foot reticulated python, the world’s longest species of snake which can grow up to 25 feet in length and have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years.
Other species in the ATLAS family include SubZero, an Argentine black and white tegu; Rafiki, the bearded dragon; Pastel, a ball python native to South Africa; Alice, the snapping turtle; and El, the club tail iguana, naming a few.
Butner’s favorite of the family is Arty because of her disposition, while Haggett prefers the leopard geckos. “I love their personalities, and I’ve begun breeding them. Watching the babies go from an egg to hatching is just amazing.”
Most of the duo’s collection has come from breeders at reptile shows. On occasion they take in species people are no longer able to care for on their own. Some are temporary visitors, while others are kept as animal ambassadors on the team.
When not educating the public, the behind-the-scenes of owning such a large number of animals consists of feeding schedules, cleaning enclosures, misting and regulating temperatures, and domesticating the animals to be shown in public.
“After working 8 to 12 hours a day for our full-time jobs, we come home and use our free time taking care of our animals’ needs,” Hagget said. “If all we did when we got off work was come home and relax, ATLAS would never succeed.”
Booking an event with ATLAS consists of three options to fit both your timeframe and your budget. Package 1 is a 30-minute, $75 session with approximately four animal ambassadors from the collection. Package 2, also 30 minutes, is a $100 session with a mix from the more obscure ambassador collection. Package 3 pulls out all the stops in a one-hour visit with up to seven ambassadors, including Arty, the reticulated python, at a cost of $125.
Additional time may also be purchased in 30-minute increments.
While the business is currently housed in their Ozawkie home, the dream moving forward is to eventually own a storefront in the Lawrence or Topeka area.
Butner was born in Overland Park, but soon moved to the Oskaloosa area where he attended Oskaloosa schools, graduating in 2017. Haggett was born in Leavenworth and moved to McLouth at a young age, attending McLouth schools from kindergarten until her graduation in 2020.
Butner works full time for Dr. Pepper/Keurig as a merchandiser in Topeka. Haggett is a front office specialist for Lineage Mailing Services, Topeka.
The couple got engaged in 2020. No date has been set for the wedding, placing their current focus on working hard to get ATLAS up and running.
ATLAS Education can be found on multiple social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Spotify. The business can be reached by email at atlas.education25@gmail.com or by calling the business phone, 785-409-7275. They also have a webpage https://atlaseducation25.wixsite.com./atlaseducation.