Our Canadian volunteer staff, for emergency purposes only, includes Emily Heikoop; with assistance from Paul Van oosten (Emily's husband), Judy Bailey, Nancy Heikoop and others.

 

She has been a reptile hobbyist for more than 12 years, beginning with her ownership of her beloved Green Iguana, Maximillian Thorpe. Since then, she has dedicated much of her time to learning about the many reptiles, and sharing this knowledge with the public. She is the primary presenter, coordinator and herptile handler.

 

She is also sharing this knowledge and experience with her young son, Declan (Zachary Declan), who is enjoying himself thoroughly, and a budding team leader for the Junior Volunteers.

 

 

The Rescue came into being about 10 years ago, after we recognized a need for such a rescue. The founder, Diana, owned a large Green Iguana, named Maximillian Thorpe or MaxMan for short, who was a lively, friendly and most importantly, healthy lizard! Max and Diana were often invited to local schools to talk about Max and his history. Eventually, friends at the local SPCA were asking if this lizard or that snake could be fostered by Diana, until a home could be found. What started as one became two then three, then more than one could count.... and thus the Rescue evolved.

 

Since that time, Diana, and an ever expanding crew of volunteers, have been sharing their interests and knowledge of reptiles with children and adults. They have spent many hours researching the various animals that come into the rescue, contacting local experienced "exotics" veterinarians and specialists in the herpetology field, including curators from the many larger zoos. This type of networking has been extremely helpful to the staff and immensely beneficial to the welfare of the animals.

 

As the Rescue has evolved, we have expanded our educational outreach programs, concentrating on more education and information, as well as consulting and connecting reptile owners with the proper "herper" network.

 

We hope with the continued education, by ourselves and others, that one day, we will be out of a job as rescuers, and that people will take pet ownership responsibly and care for the reptiles properly.

 

The Rescue has grown to include a variety of ambassador animals, and often times even includes guest animals - even mammals - that join us in our outreach programs.

 

The Volunteer team has taken on a life of its own, expanding to invite youngsters in to learn and teach as the future caretakers of our many reptile species.

 

We invite you to join us, at a Birthday Party, an Outreach program or Festival, at a School, Library or Vacation Bible School. 

 

 

 

We offer educational programs to civic groups, educational facilities and just about anyone else who is interested in learning about reptiles, their proper captive care, their status in the environment and much more. Since the Rescue is privately funded, there is a base fee for all visits. For charitable civic groups, flexible fee arrangements can be made.

 

Educational presentations are flexible and can be designed to fit school curricula, and is age appropriate. These presentations include approximately 6-10 animals and offer an opportunity for the students to interact with some of the larger, docile reptiles.

 

 

To additionally provide financial support for the animals of the Rescue, we also offer the unique opportunity of having reptiles visit for a Birthday Party. The birthday child gets to meet with all of the reptiles. The group goes on a "psuedo safari", as we introduce reptiles from all over the world. Provided with informational papers to follow along as a "scavenger hunt", we reward the youngsters with a mini "reptile themed" goodie bag. There will lots of photo opportunites for the birthday child so make sure teh camera is fully charged and there is plenty of film or digital card space! The party will provde age appropriate information to the children and an opportuntiy for them all to interact with the reptiles. Parents are encouraged to stay.

 

All funds go directly into the care of the reptiles - providing feed, maintenance, veterinary care and husbandry.