A traveling troupe of critters, crawlers and their caretakers have made the Midwest their home. With stops in Kalamazoo, Goshen and Lafayette, the group has begun hosting another round of expos in Fort Wayne.
The 13th Fort Wayne Reptile Expo was held on Oct. 25, the most recent entry into the monthly series. Allie Gilreath, half of Collison Zoo Expo’s ownership, feels a reptile expo should be more than just the animals.
“It’s very important to us that people don’t just walk out of here with an animal and not know what to do. If you buy it here, we should have what you need for it.”
Tony Collison, Gilreath’s other half, moved to Fort Wayne from Kalamazoo, bringing with him about two decades of reptile-care experience. The lack of a consistent expo in Fort Wayne pushed him to get the idea off the ground, aided by his reason for moving to Summit City.
“So, what brought me here: Allie!”
For Collison, the schedule is meant to encourage connection.
“It’s also just nice for animal lovers to come here and see like-minded people.”