The Humans:

Dave DiNaso

Dave DiNaso has always had a passion for wildlife. As a child he spent many summers at his family's cottage catching every critter imaginable. He's been hooked ever since. Over the years he has cared for hundreds of different species of reptiles, from the pet store variety such as iguanas and pythons to some of the most dangerous including alligators, crocodiles rattlesnakes and cobras. He has also owned, raised and rehabilitated many types of local mammals including racoons, opossums, skunks, squirrels and bats. Dave attended Illinois State University but surprisingly did not earn a degree in biology, zoology or herpetology. Instead he studied speech communications which is helpful considering he speaks at so many events. Nothing however has been more valuable to his education as the on the job approach he has taken from a young age. Dave has successfully bred many reptiles in captivity, including snakes, lizards and turtles. His Burmese python has laid more than one hundred and twenty eggs over the last several years and quite a few baby pythons in the pet trade are as a result of this snake. Over the years Dave has bred seven different species of snake found locally throughout Illinois. Dave’s education is not limited to the study of captive specimens. Over the past five years he has researched, filmed and photgraphed animals on five different continents and has traveled to four of the world's rainforests. In East Africa Dave filmed Nile crocodiles on the Orangi river, big game animals on the Serengeti Plains, animals in the Tangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation area and the Ol Duvai Gorge, where Mary and Louis Leaky discovered the bones of the earliest hominids.

Dave traveled extensively throughout Australia where he scuba dived the Great Barrier Reef, trekked through both the temperate and tropical rainforests, stood atop the Blue Mountains, hiked along the Mossmans Gorge, visited the deserts of the outback, traveling North where he filmed and photographed the largest reptile on the planet the saltwater crocodile.

In Central America he traveled to both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Costa Rica. Much of that time was spent in the rainforest where 5% of all plant and animal species exist.

Most recently, Dave worked with a television crew in Florida filming the abundant wildlife in the Everglades National Park. He helped relocate twenty Nile crocodiles from Tampa to a crocodile farm in Homestead Florida. In addition to the Crocs, he handled some of the worlds most dangerous snakes and lizards including black mambas, king cobras, cottonmouths, several species of rattlesnakes and gila monsters. Future plans include a trip to the Galapagos Islands and an expedition to the Guadalupe Islands to film great white sharks.

Chris Boerema

Handling exotic reptiles is nothing new to Chris Boerema. When he was younger his parents opened a pet store where he learned first-hand how to care for dozens of animals. As he grew older he began working with larger more exotic species becoming particularly fascinated with reptiles. Chris's resume includes working with Nile crocodiles, Egyptian cobras, large monitors, alligators, giant snapping turtles and some of the largest constricting snakes on the planet.

In 2004 Chris began working for the Traveling World of Reptiles where he assisted in every aspect of the business. Dave was so impressed with Chris's knowledge and expertise it wasn't long before he was working as a full-time employee and performing shows. Chris also enjoys traveling around the world and has accompanied Dave in a Florida Everglades research project. In September of 2007 he joined Dave on a great white shark dive in the Farallon Islands off the Pacific coast. They also photographed Humpback whales, dolphins, elephant seals, fur seals, sea lions, and the leatherback sea turtle. Later that month they captured and photographed snakes along the Russian river, finishing their journey hiking in the Annedale National Park. Only two months later, Chris went on a scuba diving expedition to the Cayman Islands where he photographed sharks, sea snakes, and other marine life. He also spent time at a sea turtle rescue farm where he handled some of the world’s rarest sea turtles. Chris has twice traveled to the Central American rainforest where he photographed American Crocodiles and Spectacled Caimans on the Tarcoles River.

Chris has developed his own unique style that brings humor, education, experience, and youthful enthusiasm while still having the Traveling World of Reptiles character that so many have enjoyed over the past 15 years.

To contact us:

For availability and cost please call toll free 888-SLITHER (888-754-8437) Prices are very reasonable and lower than most other animal shows. Price ranges differ according to specific events.

E-mail: dave@travelingworldofreptiles.com