CHRONCILE HERALD (Halifax, Nova Scotia) 11 March 06 Exotic new arrivals in need of homes - Most animals find foster parents (Kelly Shiers)
You think it’s tough finding good homes for abandoned cats and dogs? Consider trying to find someone to take in a giant toad, a giant galliwasp lizard or one of the other foreign creatures brought illegally into Nova Scotia.
"It probably happens more than once a year. Last year, we had quite a number of them actually. But every year, there’s always something, from parrots to snakes to reptiles to Russian lynxes," says Les Sampson, enforcement co-ordinator of the Canadian Wildlife Service.
For some, a good home is an Internet search away or as near as one of the local zoos, the Hope for Wildlife Society or even reptile experts who belong to the Nova Scotia Herpetoculture Society.
"We’ve got enough contacts now so we’ve always been able to find someone to take care of them until we can locate an appropriate or better facility," he said.
The exception was the Palestinian viper, the most deadly by far of the creatures Mr. Sampson has handled on the job. The snake, which was found in October, was euthanized because its bite can be fatal in minutes and the nearest antivenin was at least a five-hour flight away.
These creatures are all here illegally. Some are so rare, they’re endangered. Others could be imported legally if only they had proper permits.
And some are harder to find homes for than others.
In February 2005, four dwarf boa constrictors, an endangered Hispaniolan vine boa, a giant galliwasp lizard and a giant marine toad were discovered in a container of legal land hermit crabs from Haiti. The shipper included the others to try to convince a Sydney pet store owner, who hadn’t asked for them, to start buying snakes too.
Denise McKay, who runs a reptile and amphibian rescue program, took in all seven. She looks forward to getting a call from Mr. Sampson because "it usually means something interesting."
The galliwasp lizard was sent to the Nashville Zoo, where there’s a breeding program. The vine boa, which she’s still caring for, will likely go next month to Toledo, where he’ll also be part of a breeding program.
But the toad will remain.
"He’s very friendly. That’s why I kept him because he’s so interesting, so interactive," she said. "He’s kind of cute for a toad."
Lucky for the toad Ms. McKay thinks that way.
"It’s a very drab-looking, brown (creature) that hides all day long in his enclosure and only comes out at night to eat. It’s not something a zoo would want, so he’d be really hard to find a home for," Mr. Sampson said.
Last year, he also found homes for two palm-sized Greek tortoises. One went to Oaklawn Farm Zoo in Aylesford, also home of a rare Egyptian tortoise seized several years ago. The Hope for Wildlife Society in Seaforth took the other.
Exotic new arrivals in need of homes