Star Eco Station

I'd been hearing about something called the Star Eco Station in Culver City for about a year, but I never quite understood what it was. I knew it had tours and reptiles and was somewhere along Jefferson Blvd, but that was about the extent of my knowledge. So today Baby M and I decided to find out what the Star Eco Station is all about. (One of Baby M's catchphrases lately is "What's this all about?" It is applied to everything from books to breakfast cereal.)

The Star Eco Station provides rescue and rehabilitation for illegal, abandoned or abused exotic wildlife. You know when you hear about a trucker who kept a bobcat in his cab for years, feeding it nothing but bologna and hot dogs? That cheetah ends up at Star Eco Station, along with abandoned cockatoos, iguanas, boa constrictors, etc. Visitors can tour the center learn about the animals and view them up close. The Star Eco Station also works with the community and local schools to do environmental outreach and education.

Baby M and I showed up for the 11:30am tour on Sunday and were the only ones there, although there were a few people ahead of us on the 11:00 tour. Our tour guide, Eden, was friendly and knowledgeable and did a good job of tailoring the tour to Baby M's level. We started off looking at fish and turtles, and then moved on to the big cats (bobcats, servals, etc), but the real highlight of the tour was the reptile room. Here Baby M was able to see geckos, iguanas, pythons, chameleons and giant dragon lizards that he mistook for dinosaurs. But even more exciting than mini dinosaurs was the fact that Eden took many of the reptiles out of the cages and allowed Baby M to pet and hold them. I never expected to see my two year old holding a boa constrictor and if I did, I certainly didn't think I'd be telling him to smile so I could snap a photo, but I did just that. Finally we moved on to the exotic bird room which was loud and smelly, though the birds were colorful and Baby M enjoyed watching volunteers feed them nuts.

Our tour lasted about 30 minutes, but I know Eden skipped or shortened stops at a few of the exhibits due to Baby M's age, which was appropriate. I could see the tour lasting about an hour for an older, engaged child. That being said, I do think it was worth taking Baby M. He was very interested in the animals, loved seeing them up close and I got some very cool pictures. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for kids (infants in strollers are free). I can see us coming back for the tour again in a few years and will definitely check out some of the annual Star Eco Station community events like the DinoFaire and the Creepy Crawly Creature Feature.