Student Photo and Book Exhibit on Pythons Features Live Python

Current RIT student, Samantha Wenitsky, is already a published author. Her book, "Keeping Ball Pythons: the Care and Husbandry of Python Regius in Captivity", is a comprehensive work that covers everything from the basic biology of pythons to issues that may arise while caring for them. In addition, the book features Samantha's photographic work with the pythons. It was published as part of her senior project and independent study within her undergraduate photography degree program.

Visitors to the exhibit have an opportunity to flip through Wenitsky's book, as well as view her photography, but most exciting, hold her pet python. Children and adults alike were equally excited and terrified to be in such close contact with an animal so rarely seen here in Rochester.

The exhibit is taking place in building 7A, on the second floor. Many of the visitors hung around in the back of the room seemingly ready to escape if the snake made eye contact with them. Most of those brave enough to come forward were only comfortable touching the shed skin of the snake, but not the actual snake.

As she allowed the visitors to react to the python, the exhibitor would impart interesting and little known facts about the pythons, like how they are able to breath while an animal is being digested in their throat because their breathing apparatus is separate from their digestion tube.

The decision to feature the python was made by Wenitsky as a way to attract visitors to become familiar with her book and photography collection. Campus officials were initially concerned about having a live animal in an academic building, but Wenitsky was able to convince them of the relative calm nature of the tamed python. By featuring a python, the exhibit was quite successful in attracting a much greater and more curious audience than perhaps just by featuring photos and an academic description of all things python.