My name is Kenlee Ngo, and for the last 8 years of my career being a zookeeper, I have educated and inspired hundreds of people of all ages about animals and conservation. From a young age, my interest in biology stemmed from exposure to wildlife related experiences such as zoos, parks, passionate educators in school, and the many reptile education shows I viewed in libraries and childcare centers.   

These regulation changes will prevent these valuable education opportunities from entering childcare centers. Experiences like these inspire children and develop a passion that may lead them to pursue a career in the STEM field just as it did for myself and many of my colleagues. 

As a summer job, I personally conducted over 40+ reptile shows over two years. These reptile shows offer children an up-close encounter with a variety species in a safe and controlled environment. It invokes cheerful excitement and progressive curiosity from each child. Children are left with more questions than they began with, an experience they will never forget, and all of the new facts they have learned. Without these shows, children will miss out on these unique experiences, especially ones who have less opportunities than others.

Thank you for your time to read this. I encourage to the change in language in the proposed regulation to allow reptiles and other non-dangerous animals to continue to enter facilities for educational purposes.