Elza wants to spread the word that all critters are important

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Photo by Dean Manning

July 15, 2008

Takes her message to the Laurel County Public Library

By Dean Manning The Sentinel-Echo Tue Jul 15, 2008, 02:50 PM EDT

From the time she was a child, Tammy Elza has had a love of animals. Not just the cute, furry kind, but also the ones with scales and shells that creep and crawl.

“I was my mother’s nightmare,” the Laurel County native admitted. “She would come home and find things like a snapping turtle in her bath tub.”

As owner and operator of Kentucky Environmental Educational Company, Elza has spent the last five years sharing her passion for animals. Thursday, she was at the Laurel County Library where she introduced children and their parents to insects and things that eat insects including the Madagascar hissing cockroach, giant African black millipede and a Savannah monitor lizard named “Sylvester.”

“If it doesn’t have ears it doesn’t get named,” Elza told the audience in explaining why the cockroaches and millipedes didn’t have names.

Elza, who is licensed to display animals through the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said her animals are purchased from pet stores or rescued.

Though her family thinks she is unique because of her love of all animals, they are supportive of her efforts to travel across the state to spread her message that all animals, including bugs and snakes, are important to the world and the loss of any species has a negative impact on the environment.

“They know this is my niche,” Elza said. “I want to teach people they don’t have to be afraid of things.”

While many people will kill any kind of snake found around their home, Elza explained this can lead to worse or bigger problems.

“Most of the snakes around your home are not poisonous,” Elza said. “If you destroy those snakes, you can end up with mice or other snakes that you don’t want around.”

Additional information about the different programs Elza does for schools, libraries and conservation groups is available at www.keecwildlife.com.

Anyone interested in hosting one of Elza’s programs may contact her by phone (606) 862-8562 or E-mail, bgelza@msn.com.