My name is Alexander Howard Jacobs, and I’m the founder and sole operator of Old-School Exotics & Reptiles, or OSER. For more than six years, I have built this work by hand through daily animal care, habitat development, program design, and founder-led educational presentations. OSER has documented 237+ presentations in California, bringing wildlife education to schools, senior communities, memory-care settings, libraries, and other community organizations. The cover photograph is from a California seminar. Now I’m preparing for OSER’s next chapter: expanding this established educational mission into Florida.

This fundraiser is for that Florida expansion. I am currently in Washington preparing for the move, and although I already own the Florida property, the animals, existing equipment, and habitat systems that form the foundation of OSER have not yet relocated there. This campaign will not fund the purchase of my home or reimburse me for animals and assets I already own. Florida programming has not begun yet, and it will begin only after the required authorizations and operational preparations are complete. I’m asking for support now because I want to expand responsibly and preserve the standards that have shaped OSER from the beginning.

Our $35,000 goal supports additional mammals for the Cuddly Creatures ambassador-candidate program, including acquisition, appropriate housing and setup, veterinary intake, acquisition-related transport, six months of qualification-period care, applicable taxes and fees, and a contingency reserve for unforeseen acquisition and setup expenses. This preliminary budget remains subject to final animal selections and supplier quotes.

I manage nutrition costs through bulk Mazuri and Exotic Nutrition purchasing and established roach and cricket colonies for appropriate insect-based nutrition. The expansion budget accounts for additional needs while making use of suitable equipment and resources I already own.

New animals will not be placed into immediate public handling. They will first enter OSER’s six-month internal ambassador certification process, governed by our proprietary CSECM doctrine. This is OSER’s internal readiness framework, not an outside accreditation. Readiness, suitability, animal welfare, and human safety guide every qualification decision. Certification depends on the individual animal’s readiness, not simply time passed. Even when approved, an ambassador’s role may be visual-only or, where appropriate, include carefully supervised tactile interaction. Participation remains voluntary and welfare-monitored.

After the initial mammal-expansion goal is met, donations beyond that goal will support a separately budgeted reptile expansion. New reptile candidates will undergo the same six-month internal ambassador certification process, governed by our proprietary CSECM doctrine, before qualifying for public participation. As with mammal candidates, certification depends on individual readiness and does not guarantee public participation.

Across OSER’s operating history, there have been no reported bites, scratches, or other incidents. I have centered controlled interaction, founder-only primary handling, and each animal’s ability to participate by choice. That commitment is at the heart of how I teach and why this mission matters so much to me.

Expanding into Florida means creating a lasting future for work I have dedicated myself to every day. My goal is to bring both the Cuddly Creatures mammal program and the reptile educational program to more schools, senior communities, libraries, and other organizations while keeping animal welfare central in every presentation.

Learn more about OSER and our educational work:

https://www.oldschoolexoticsreptiles.com

If this mission speaks to you, I would be grateful for your support or for you to share this fundraiser. Your help will support an established, founder-led education program as I prepare to bring thoughtful, welfare-first wildlife learning to more Florida communities.