Snakes Alive, there are snakes on the Dawsonville Square

By Michele Hester

Paul and Toni Vetrone hold Casper, their 14 feet long Albino Burmese Python. The couple own Snakes Alive, a snake and reptile zoo on the square in Dawsonville.

Toni Vetrone now knows better than to tell her husband Paul anything. Many years ago she told him she wanted an aquarium and a few fish, and before she knew it, the couple’s home was overflowing in fish tanks.

Over the years, the 50 fish tanks evolved into over 60 habitats for snakes, which the couple now houses at Snakes Alive, a zoo on the Dawsonville Square. “As a kid, I always had bugs in jars to show to the neighbor kids,” said Paul. As he grew older so did his love for creatures. He has raised horses, pigs, parrots and even llamas.

But there was something about snakes that “just caught my eye,” he said. He now has over 60 snakes from around the world that range in size from babies to “Casper,” a 14 feet long Albino Burmese Python that weighs over 100 pounds.

“It takes two of us to pick it up,” said Toni, who struggles to get Casper from his extra large tank. The couple adopted Casper a few years back, which is where they find many of their snakes, especially the larger ones.

“They look a lot different when they are young,” said Paul as he holds a 7 feet long red tail boa constrictor. He said as the snakes grow older and become larger, people have tendency to want to get rid of their snakes. That is okay by Paul, because now his assortment of adopted snakes and his own collection of snakes are allowing him to live out one of his dreams while educating the public on the slithering creatures.

“We’ve always wanted to open a facility where we could display the snakes,” said Paul, who has been involved in animal husbandry for over 30 years. There are over 40 species of snakes at Snakes Alive, including cottonmouths, king snakes, copperheads and Diamondback rattlesnakes, in addition to turtles and lizards.

Snakes Alive also offers mobile educational programs such as two upcoming venomous snake classes for Dawson County Emergency Services in April. “You never know what you are going to come across when you walk into a house,” said Paul. “We’ll go over venomous snakes found in Georgia and other parts of the world.”

Birthday parties are also popular events for Snakes Alive to take their snakes on the road. “We have plenty enough snakes to show just about anything they would like us to show,” Paul said. “It’s great for anyone who wants to do something a little different.”

Snakes Alive is located at the corner of Academy Ave. and Highway 9 on the Dawsonville Square. Tours are available by appointment. For more information, call (706) 864-7304.