Reptile fairs and displays may be fine, but ONLY IF the reptiles are housed properly and not stressed by people or the elements. At Sunday's Woofstock (Rocklin), in direct sun with no relief available, an obviously distressed turtle in a small aquarium, was trying desperately (and "frantically" for a usually slow moving turtle) to escape through the glass. This is NOT normal behavior. At Roseville's Earth Day (very hot day), reptiles were in small aquariums with sun beating down on them. Our family informed the booth operators that the animals needed protection/shade. The response was a nonchalant, gum-chew/snapping, "Oh, they're OK." An aquarium in full sun becomes a mini oven, but the booth operators were clueless.

Event promoters need to require strict handling and display restrictions on live animal booths. Putting reptiles or any animal under stress so that humans can see/handle them is inhumane, cruel, and must be stopped by event promoters, Animal Control, or Humane Officers. This doesn't have to be a big deal, but if "excellent" care practices cannot be followed, then the booths should be closed and the animals taken to proper facilities.

Hopefully, Placer Nature Center, as a responsible and reputable educational facility/organization, will know what's best for these wonderful creatures and treat them accordingly.