...History continued

Reptile Gardens has survived its share of disasters through the years. The worst occurred in August of 1976 when the upper dome structure housing the main reptile exhibits and the Safari Room burned. Sadly, hundreds of reptiles and birds died - some of which were irreplaceable. The plastic dome melted and covered everything below it. The heat weakened the aluminum structure of the dome causing it to collapse into the Safari Room. Remarkably, the huge old Ponderosa pine skeleton in the center of the Safari Room narrowly escaped being crushed by the top part of the dome structure as you can see in this photo. The old tree remains the centerpiece of the Safari Room today.

A new dome with new exhibits was built over the course of the following winter; the Safari Room was planted with cactus and exotic plants brought in by the semi-load. New animals were obtained from far and wide, and all was ready to reopen in the spring of 1977.

The great Rapid City flood of 1972 caused only a relatively minor amount of damage to the grounds. However, another flood in June 1977 was far worse. An isolated thunderstorm dumped 7 inches of rain in a small area upstream, and caused a major flash flood which covered the property with three feet of water, icy hail and much debris. During the height of the flood the giant tortoises were swept out of their pen and carried away. Fortunately they were all rescued at other places on the property.

Today Reptile Gardens boasts of housing more species of reptiles than any other zoo or park in the world - a long way from its modest beginning in 1937. Reptile Gardens also seeks to educate the public on important environmental issues and works closely with many major zoos worldwide to promote species survival through breeding loans.

Since its founding, Reptile Gardens has provided a great entertainment experience for literally millions of visitors by giving them the chance to observe exotic, unusual animals up close. The current management and staff plan to continue this tradition. They are dedicated to keeping Reptile Gardens one of the premier family attractions in the Midwest.