Hello my name is Nicholas Jacinto and for the past 15 years I have been a offering professional wildlife shows for schools, libraries, hospitals, birthday parties, fairs, zoos, and museums. I am licensed by the USDA (federal), NYSDEC, Florida FWCC, and a dozen other states as a professional wildlife handler. I am also licensed General Class Falconer in New York State. In addition, I hold undergraduate degrees in childhood education/special education and speech communications.  My animals have also been highlighted in various TV programs such as Good Day NY, The Wendy Williams Show, Martha Stewart Living, Sesame Street, and many others.

I currently house a collection of animals including a  fennec fox, Patagonian cavy, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Tawny Owl, Harris Hawk, Toucan, Milksnake, tortoises, and many others. My animals are housed between two facilities; one in Eastern Long Island NY and one in Vero Beach FL. They are all housed in Zoo grade cages that are inspected regularly by both federal and state agencies. My animals are raised in my house as babies to ensure a smooth transition to a life traveling as wildlife ambassadors; in fact, my Eagle Owl was raised as a baby with my daughter in her crib. All of my animals are my children and not just props. my animals receive routine veterinary care and a high quality diet daily.

One can only imagine my shock when it was brought to my attention that Suffolk County NY, where I currently reside, is proposing a ban on all exotic animal shows. If passed, this would easily shutter my business, especially after the Covid-19 lockdowns which prevented me from doing shows for the better part of two years. I have no doubt that these legislatures are being guided by good intentions, however, they are not taking into account the fact that reputable wildlife shows, such as mine, will be put out of business. School children will be denied the opportunity to see an owl up close or feel the skin of a snake. There are many lessons that simply cannot be learned through a book. Reputable wildlife centers and zoos will be prohibited from bringing their animals out for the public to see up close. 

Like any industry, there are a few bad apples that make their way in. That is no reason to punish people who are doing the right thing by their animals and who have worked very hard on cultivating a good reputation. There are already a litany of laws on the books on both the state level (NYSDEC) and the Federal Level (USDA). Thank you for your time.