Bug man to turn home into ‘creature centre’
Auckland bug man Brian Lawton shares his home with thousands of lizards, eels, exotic insects, rats, turtles and several tarantulas. Now the former Auckland War Memorial Museum curator wants to turn his abode into an interactive menagerie, where people can face their fears and children can get up close and personal with creepy crawlies.
Lawton, 60, has been collecting creatures as far back as he can remember, and now runs two businesses — Creatures Unlimited and Hands On Creatures.
One finds creatures for the movie and advertising industries, and the other is dedicated to bringing “creature experience” to the people.
“Small family groups can come, spend a couple of hours and experience totally everything . . . touching, handling, smelling, whatever,” he said.
“Kids can feed, and feel — and I mean how many New Zealand kids will ever get a chance to touch or see a live tarantula close up?”
Lawton plans to turn his garage into a “warm animal centre” to house the thousands of insects, spiders and geckos. Currently, it is home to several species of lizards, skinks and a bearded dragon.
In the living room of the house, which he shares with partner Tikvah and stepsons Baruch and Hezron, are the rats and turtles. At the back is a bug lab where he keeps tarantulas, Avondale spiders, locusts, frogs and maggots. But Tikvah doesn’t seem fazed — she says the animals are part of the family.
He said the new facility, which would run by bookings, would help people with phobias too. “Hollywood, with movies like
Arachnophobia, has played a big part in making people freak out when they see big spiders,” he said. “But the chances of someone getting killed by spider bites is virtually zero.”