LEWISTON, Maine — Update: Mr. Drew & His Animals Too has closed their Lewiston facility during the Covid-19 pandemic to visitors. The storefront is still open, and you can buy pet food. Mr. Drew is also doing Facebook Live videos on their Facebook page and is joining Maine classrooms remotely to continue teaching young Mainers about exotic animals.
About a year and a half ago, not long after Amanda had joined 207, she and I found ourselves in the 207 kitchen holding small bits of tarantula. Go ahead, our guest—an enthusiastic advocate for the consumption of insects--encouraged, eat them. Amanda grimaced, and her body literally shook with revulsion. Then she downed some tarantula.
Now, what you need to understand is that she is terrified of spiders. Even dead ones. Ah, the things we do for television.
Which brings us to Mr. Drew of Mr. Drew and His Animals Too, who lives in Lewiston and travels throughout Maine and the Northeast speaking to groups, especially children, about exotic animals. On his latest visit to the 207 studio, he arrived with a small cart carrying, among other things, a tarantula and a boa constrictor. It would be difficult to imagine better companions for the two hosts since one of them is freaked out by spiders and the other likes to stay far, far away (2,000 miles would be about right) from large snakes.
Did Amanda and I take one for the team? Did we pet the tarantula with the tiny, sinister hairs on its legs? Did we snuggle with the clammy, slithering boa constrictor? Watch the interview. If any anchors were harmed in the making of the segment, it ought to make for great TV.