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Exotic petting zoo visit wows Twin Lakes Village residents
Mobile animal program features hands-on experience with snakes, lizards and tarantula
6/5/2026
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Deron Hamel
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Twin Lakes Village residents recently enjoyed a unique and memorable experience as the Sarnia seniors living community welcomed a mobile exotic petting zoo featuring an array of animals – from cuddly favourites to more unusual creatures.
Staff and animals from Sam's Scales and Tails, a local mobile petting zoo, stopped by the Village on May 21 to spend the afternoon with residents. As part of the visit, residents learned about the creatures from staff and got to handle some of the animals as well.
Among the animals at the Village that day were a rabbit, snakes, lizards and a tarantula.
“It was an afternoon of fun, education, achieving goals and, for some, overcoming fears,” Kerry Andriash, Twin Lakes Village's fun co-ordinator, tells S&R Today.
Kerry says she got the idea to bring the petting zoo to Twin Lakes Village while visiting Lambton Mall during March break. Staff from Sam's Scales and Tails were at the shopping centre that day giving a presentation, and Kerry says she thought it would be “a fantastic opportunity” to bring the petting zoo to Twin Lakes.
Residents enjoyed being introduced to the animals, and handling the tarantula proved to be an especially unique experience for some.
Resident Nancy Debie says getting to hold a tarantula was a way for her to overcome a fear of spiders. Tarantulas, despite their intimidating appearance, are docile creatures that are safe to handle when properly supervised.
“It was a cool experience because I never thought in my life I would hold a tarantula,” Nancy says. “I got over my fear quickly and the tarantula was quite calm.”
A favourite moment for residents was when a lizard roamed around the activity room and “made himself comfortable,” Kerry says.
“The lizard was probably the most entertaining,” she says.
Given the success of the event, Kerry says residents can expect another visit from Sam's Scales and Tails in the future.
“The residents are still talking about this and can't wait for another visit,” she says.
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