Snakes and other reptiles have been getting...

Snakes and other reptiles have been getting a bum rap since the dawn of humanity. Even the Garden of Eden had a snake in the grass. If ever a group of creatures needed a champion, it’s reptiles. And Monty Krizan may be just the man. “The average person says the only good snake is a dead snake. Hopefully, that attitude is going away,” said Krizan, who spends 10 months a year with his traveling troupe of 40 caged reptiles visiting malls, fairs and schools around the United States and Canada. They’re holding forth through Saturday on the green next to Buffums at the Peninsula Center, Hawthorne Boulevard and Silver Spur Road in Rolling Hills Estates. Star attractions are Tee Beau, a four-foot rhinoceros iguana, and Albert, a 200-pound, seven-foot alligator that obeys commands like a dog. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission is free.