Poison Dart frog housed in a deli cup at a reptile expo. Since this time reptile expos have seen a dramatic change not only in the quality of the animals but also in the products. The first NRBE took place in central Florida in 1989. One of the earliest reptile shows that would draw huge crowds from not only the United States but from around the world was “ National Reptile Breeders Expo” (NRBE). The invention of a reptile expo was born. The problem was there was no internet or meeting place other than pet shops or local herpetological society meetings to exchange ideas or sell products. Some of those items were home-made rack systems, thermostats, lighting, and various other inventions to help enrich the lives of these cold-blooded creatures. Many keepers, breeders and zoo helpers were publishing books and magazines, and inventing new products. The commercialization of keeping reptiles and amphibians saw its highest growth in the 80s and 90s. Reptile expos as we know it today are nothing like the early days. Sometimes this was done at a friend’s house or at herpetological society meetings. The early reptile expos were nothing more than early herpetologists, zoologists and “weird” people exchanging information and animals they caught or bred.
Could this be the key to the increase of interests by the general public in reptiles and amphibians? No matter what the initial event was, reptile keeping, or better known as herpetoculture saw a huge increase during the 1970s and decades that followed. The revitalization of paleontology of the 1970’s drove thousands to the study of dinosaurs.
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