06/15/2026
Cinnabar, the Western fox snake, came to us in 2012 after being found in Mahaska County Conservation’s Nature Center. The naturalist who found the snake in her office thought her young fox snake escaped, and went to put it away, only to learn her fox snake was still safely secured in its enclosure. Cinnabar found her way from that naturalist’s warm computer tower to the warmth of the Benton County Nature Center. She was our first Animal Ambassador, helping educate on the importance of snakes in our ecosystem. It is hard to express how much of an impact an Animal Ambassador has on the community, even more so with a snake like Cinnabar. For many, she may have been the first and only snake that they ever touched. She helped shake fears of a commonly misunderstood animal, and created joy from her calm disposition in those who she impacted. When not slithering through dried leaves in her enclosure, she could be found over the necks of people with long hair, in hoodie pockets and winding through belt loops.
Cinnabar was named after the clever fox who taunts George Washington and his hunting hounds in the children’s book Cinnabar, The One O'Clock Fox by Marguerite Henry. When she arrived at our Nature Center, she was only 15 inches long. By the time we said goodbye, she was nearly 53 inches. Cinnabar had 3 “Mickey Mouse” spots on her body, a common feature on fox snakes. She was mentioned on the radio show Those Girls in The Afternoon on 102.9 for being a crowd favorite after the Vinton-Shellsburg High School Career Fair, although they called her a “garden snake.” In all the years that Cinnabar was an Animal Ambassador with us, she never pooped during a presentation which is a BIG deal when you are working with live animals.
For over 10 years, we believed Cinnabar was a male due to her tail size (this is not a 100% accurate way to s*x a snake, but it is the least invasive). In early spring of 2023, Cinnabar's personality changed. She was spending a lot of time in her moisture box, refusing to come out and eat, hissing and shaking her tail every time we reached in to clean her enclosure or change her water. We weren’t sure what to think, as this was very unlike her. She finally left her box and we discovered she had laid 7 eggs. These eggs were not viable as she had been in captivity for over 10 years at this point, but it told us two things: she was a female and she was very healthy!
In her later years, she had a few medical issues, as we all do as we age. Most of which she was able to overcome with some extra TLC. We want to say thank you to her Sponsors over the years who helped pay for her medical bills as she aged, and give a special thank you to Dr. Timmerman and the staff at the Vinton-Urbana Veterinary Hospital for helping take such good care of an Ambassador that was adored by many. Thank you, Cinnabar for touching the hearts of thousands of people. 🌈💚
If you have any pictures of Cinnabar, please share them with us in the comments below 💚
