NC science museum removes Reddit post seeking exotic animal donations

Editor’s Note: This story has been changed to correct inaccurate information about the museum’s policies.

A social media post seeking unwanted exotic animals at the Museum of Life and Science has been removed.

A Reddit post asking for snakes, chinchillas and ferrets did not follow the museum’s established procedure for procuring animals, said Lakeisha Fusi, spokeswoman.

Posted Thursday, the post attracted attention until Friday until the museum discovered its origin and had it removed.

The Durham museum, best known for its red wolves, black bears, lemurs and 35-foot butterfly house, also boasts hundreds of less flashy species common to the Tar Heel state: muskrats, skunks, orb-weaver spiders.

But according to the Reddit post, which Fusi said was written by a part-time employee, the museum has experienced a rash of animal “retirements” in recent weeks, creating job opportunities for those that crawl or slither.

This story was originally published August 24, 2018 at 1:12 PM.