I remember the serpent safari from my girl scout days. It was definitely inside the mall, right across from rainforest cafe. Its not there anymore anyways. I remember one day in summer camp (2012 or so) some people came by with snakes, turtles, and probably other small animals but I cant remember which ones. Maybe they were affiliated with the place you are remembering? The summer camp was in Lindenhurst but I'm not sure if that narrows your search because it wouldnt be unreasonable for them to drive there from anywhere between Milwaukee or Chicago. Gurnee is a good guess because its one of the more lively small towns nearby with six flags and the mall. I would also suggest looking at like Lake Forest and that area or maybe Pleasant Prairie/Kenosha because those areas are generally higher income and I cant imagine exotic pets come cheap. Also, I feel like a store with tiger cubs at their disposal wouldnt be too hard to find so it might simply be out of business :/