Without a flicker of squeamishness, 14-year-old Sam Sweny reaches out to stroke the smooth yellow skin of the slow-moving, curling snake named Pyro.
“They just seem nice,” said the eighth-grader at Our Lady’s Christian School, located in Millcreek Township.
Pyro can’t take all of the credit. Jeff Hankey — or “Mr. Hankey” to his students — has a collection of reptiles that win over most everyone they meet. People will be able to see them up close — or as close as they want — during a free educational forum, Hankey’s Incredible Snake Symposium, tomorrow, starting at 6 p.m. at the school.