Our Crowdfunding Groups
Welcome to the Insect Adventure! We are an extension program from the Department of Entomology and the only live bug petting zoo in the state. Our mission is to use insects from around the globe as science education tools in communities throughout Oklahoma. With Dr. Andrine Shufran as our director, Insect Adventure is a team of undergraduate entomology students passionate about raising insects and using them to inform the public about their importance. We hope this will also relieve people of some scary misconceptions. We are the only insect petting zoo in the state of Oklahoma and we raise far more than just insects; we have tarantulas, walkingsticks, beetles, scorpions, hissing cockroaches, millipedes, centipedes, and much more! We serve with the public in two important ways: through our open hours and paid shows around the state. Open hours are biweekly sessions at the OSU Botanical Gardens where anyone can come in and handle live specimens assisted by Insect Adventure employees or trained volunteers from the entomology department. Many organizations and schools choose to book a private showing where we drive out to their location and hold up to six separate hour long showings. We not only assist in handling these insects, but help educate those who wish to listen while also answering any questions that they might have about the complex world of bugs.
While we charge a flat fee for our shows to cover gas and wages, we try to keep prices as low as possible because we believe underserved and underprivileged communities around the state deserve the same education and experience. While we charge $3 admission to open hours to help feed the bugs, we will never turn away a family who can’t afford to pay because we believe science and the experiences that come with it shouldn’t only be accessible to those who can afford it. It's due to this, that any donations to the organization we’ve put our blood sweat and tears into would mean the world to not only us, but the people in these communities that need the help.
A small donation could help cover husbandry costs for one of our colonies, or cover the cost of gas for transporting the zoo. It could even expand our selection of insect pets that we can show. With your help, we can reach communities we would have never been able to without. On behalf of the Insect Adventure, thank you for taking the time to consider donating to a cause we have dedicated years of our life to, we look forward to meeting you!
With this amount of money, we could afford to broaden our selection of millipedes and other herbivors.
With this donation, we could afford to buy and raise another tarantula. This money could also be dedicated to acquiring bugs such as walkingsticks, scorpions, and more!
This would help pay our undergraduates and allow them to gain priceless experience in the field. Wages are the brunt of our operating cost, covering this would be beyond charitable.
Your donation at this level would cover the cost to bring the zoo for up to six hours for a community who could otherwise not afford it. You would bring the joy of science and nature to children who couldn't afford it this opportunity.
This level of support could lift a massive financial weight off our chests. Your donation could be used to purchase new educational projects, tools, aquire additional animals, facility repairs, or hire more student workers. You would be investing not only in the people within the program, but the people of Oklahoma as a whole.