Photo by Holly Allen – ATLAS Education co-owners Chaylin Haggett and Seth Butner pose with Baby, a Bearded Dragon, and Artie, the Reticulated Python, during the grand opening for their new location Jan. 13.
For nearly four years ATLAS Education’s animal ambassadors have made the rounds across the county, as owners Seth Butner and Chaylin Haggett work tirelessly to clear the bad name of creepy crawlies.
Now, those animals have found a permanent home in Meriden’s Countryside Square as ATLAS opens its first storefront location.
Despite frigid temperatures, a steady stream of supporters showed up this past weekend to the grand opening at 7272 KS-4, Suite A. Though there is much to do in finalizing the details inside the store and the animal enclosures just temporary, many of ATLAS’s 32 ambassadors were on display at the event, and both Butner and Haggett were in their element, showcasing them to the public.
ATLAS (an acronym for amphibians, turtles, lizards, arachnids, and snakes) was formed in August 2020 with the purpose of educating kids and adults alike in an effort to change the world’s perspective on such animals.
“Honestly, the kids quite easily get over their fears and embrace the snakes and such,” said Haggett. “It’s the adults who are slow to come to terms with it.”
The showstopper of the collection is Artie, a three-year-old Reticulated Python, the world’s largest species of snake. Despite currently being all of 12 feet long, once full-grown, Artie could more than double in size.
“But the most important thing about Artie is her personality,” said Haggett. “She is so curious and explorative and is such a gentle girl.”
Like Artie, most of the couple’s animals are juveniles, and therefore have a lot of growing yet to do. In fact, only one of their snakes is full-grown — a 17-year-old rescue who has been in seven homes and was previously not well cared for. Because of that, says the couple, he will live out his life being cared for at ATLAS’s new location.
“The care of these animals is so important to us. We wanted a physical location to be able to reach as many people as possible in a face-to-face interaction and to be able to make ATLAS our full-time job,” stated Butner. “It will allow us to be able to get bigger and better enclosures and new and interesting animals.”
Among those animals on the wish list for Butner is a Perentie Monitor Lizard and for Haggett, a jellyfish.
“We feel it’s important to share these animals who have been misunderstood for a long time,” stated Haggett. “We want to teach people that they aren’t something to be afraid of, and if we can get people to love them, then we can help with their conservation in the wild.”
To start, the new location will be open Tuesdays through Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. For the price of $5 per adult and $3 per kid, participants will get to see all of the animals and touch or hold most of them, as well as receive education about each one they interact with. The experience is for kids and adults alike. Though the storefront and enclosures are currently a work-in-progress, ATLAS will be constantly changing and updating as time and funds allow.
“We are so excited to be bringing this opportunity to Jefferson County,” the duo said. “We will miss having them at home — it is always so fun coming in and seeing everybody after a long day of work — but we are happy to be sharing these animals with the community.”
Kids at Saturday’s grand opening celebration were able to interact with and even hold Finn, a black pastel albino snake.