Latest news with #RichieLaleh
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Meet Dozens of Gecko Species at a Tiny Brooklyn Zoo
If you head to the basement of an unassuming building in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and keep going straight past the Bone Museum, you'll find what might possibly be the world's smallest gecko zoo. The Gecko Gallery NYC, which grew out of a private collection originally housed in the apartments of its founders, Richie Laleh and Joseph Migirov, opens the weekend of May 23. It features 60 to 70 different species of mostly geckos (with a handful of non-geckos) for a total of about 150 lizards in a roughly 400-square-foot space inside the McKibbin Lofts, a mixed-use apartment building around the corner from night clubs and pizza joints. The men, who work full time on the zoo, claim it is the largest public display of rare and endangered geckos in New York City. Mr. Laleh, 29, has a degree in biology and Mr. Migirov, 19, is currently pursuing one, but both say they have been working 'hands-on' in the field for years. The New York natives said they have loved geckos since boyhood. 'We only work with geckos because we met a gecko,' said Mr. Migirov. 'Without finding a gecko in the beginning, we wouldn't be where we are.' At the Gecko Gallery NYC there are New Caledonian giant geckos, psychedelic rock geckos, monkey-tailed skinks, giant leaf-tailed geckos, peacock day geckos, and even a tiny juvenile (although almost fully grown) carpet chameleon that can easily curl up on your fingertip — just to name a few. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Time Out
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A new gecko gallery filled with rare species is opening in Brooklyn
Brooklyn's wildest new attraction has scales, sticky feet—and may be snoozing in a sweatshirt hood. Opening early next month (tentatively, the second week of May) in East Williamsburg, the Gecko Gallery will showcase NYC's largest public collection of rare and endangered geckos—around 150 of them—all inside a single 400-square-foot basement below the McKibbin Lofts at 255 McKibbin Street. The pint-sized reptile museum is the passion project of two local biologists and lifelong animal lovers, Richie Laleh, 29, and Joseph S. Migirov, 19, who say their fascination with geckos started as kids. 'Where some people look past them, we share a common fascination,' Laleh tells Time Out. 'Geckos are some of the most diverse animals in the world.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Gecko Gallery NYC (@thegeckogallery_nyc) What began as a private collection in their Brooklyn apartments has now evolved into a public venue, following encouragement from building management to open the space to the public. Visitors can expect to see show-stealers like the nearly extinct Madagascar leaf-tailed gecko, a giant day gecko (yes, the Geico one), and a cuddly New Caledonian giant gecko named Kermit, who's been known to nap in Laleh's hoodie. The geckos are sourced from zoos, licensed breeders and occasionally through wild rescues, with the goal of strengthening captive gene pools and promoting conservation. 'We envision a future where our efforts bring often overlooked species into the spotlight,' Laleh says. Though small in size, the Gecko Gallery is big on mission: education, conservation and sparking a little wonder. Tickets are $20, and the duo is already booking visits from curious school groups and local colleges. With its mix of science, spectacle and pure gecko charm, this quirky basement menagerie might just become your new favorite rainy-day spot.
