‘Absolutely beautiful’: Jake and Spike make slithery friend as local reptile zoo prepares to close

The Reptile Zoo in Monroe is closing this fall after nearly 30 years.

Reptile Zoo owner Isaac Peterson told “The Jake and Spike Show” on Tuesday that his business faced financial hardships.

“COVID was really difficult for us, but the biggest part now is just inflation,” Peterson said. “I tried this last-ditch effort to raise my prices about a buck during the week, and my revenue fell 25%. So, the last two years have been down 10%. I’ve cut all my expenses. I’ve cut all my staff. We’re down to a skeleton crew.”

He noted that his family is doing fine financially, but his business is just no longer viable.

When asked if there was an investor option, Peterson said the laws in Washington make it difficult to transfer ownership. The Reptile Zoo would need to become part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, similar to Woodland Park Zoo, and would incur costs of around $30-50 million to achieve certification.

As for the Reptile Man educational shows at schools, Peterson said that’s a different business within his family, and will continue.

“When I took over in 2012, we separated the businesses,” he explained. “So the Reptile Man, my dad, he stayed with that. I took over the reptiles, so we kept it all separate. But also, my sister, right after COVID, started doing shows. But they’re separate businesses.

“Those businesses are totally viable,” he added. “They’re doing very well.”

Switching to the important questions, KIRO host Jake Skorheim asked if the zoo has a most popular animal.

“Two-headed turtle, albino alligator,” Peterson responded. “Then there’s black mamba, king cobra, that kind of stuff.”

Jake and Spike meet special guest from Reptile Zoo

Making a guest appearance, Peterson brought with him Linguine, a 10-foot, 40-pound, albino Burmese python.

“Kind of a yellowish color. He is absolutely beautiful,” KIRO host Spike O’Neill said as Linguine got comfortable wrapping around his body.

“I see that he’s making a move towards Spike’s head,” Jake joked.

“He feels not clammy. He’s not slimy. He feels clean, I mean, very smooth. He’s absolutely beautiful,” Spike shared.

As Jake became a perch for Linguine, Peterson said, “Remember, he could kill you, but he couldn’t eat you. He could swallow your head.”

“That was a really amazing experience,” Jake said after the two left. “I have a totally different appreciation for snakes now than I did even five minutes ago.”

While the Reptile Zoo’s last day is Oct. 18, Jake and Spike are hopeful circumstances will change.

You can watch the video of Jake and Spike’s snake encounter above, or listen to the full conversation below.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.