WA families bid a warm-hearted farewell to the cold-blooded creatures at the Reptile Zoo

WA families bid a warm-hearted farewell to the cold-blooded creatures at the Reptile Zoo Casey Martin August 20, 2025 / 4:10 pm

They’re slithery, scaly — and soon they'll be gone for good.

The Reptile Zoo in Monroe is set to close this fall, after nearly 30 years of teaching kids about exotic animals. Now, families are hurrying in to say goodbye to their favorite friends.

On a recent muggy afternoon in Monroe, Chelsea Moralez reached into a wooden pen to push a lumpy tortoise over that had rolled onto its back.

“He keeps trying to escape,” the 8 year old yelled excitedly, almost falling into the pen with the tortoises as she put it back on all fours.

This is meet-and-greet time inside the Reptile Zoo. Moralez and other kids are packed into the narrow hallways, pressing their fa