MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER (Alabama) 13 September 10 Man looks to buy one lizard, winds up with the whole farm (Veronica Kennedy)
Montevallo (AP): Steven Brooks grew up in the Hudson Valley of New York and found the love of his life there, but he couldn't find a job to support himself and Lauren, the woman he wanted to marry.
So he bought a farm. A lizard farm. In Montevallo.
"I was looking for a lizard that this place sells," Brooks said. "I saw on the website the farm was for sale.
"I went to Lauren and jok­ed about buying it, and then I went to my parents and joked about it."
His parents didn't think it was so funny; they liked the idea.
That's how a 24-year-old New Yorker wound up buying a lizard breeding facility established by a man known throughout the world for his work with Australian water dragons.
That man was Bert Langerwerf, and the farm is Aga­ma International Herpetocultural Institute. When Langerwerf died in 2008, his widow and their children worked hard to keep the breeding facility going. They did, but it was difficult.
Brooks has a degree in zoo animal technology, and Lau­ren is a licensed wildlife re­habilitator. The two got mar­ried at a wildlife sanctuary near their homes June 27, then loaded their cars and moved to Montevallo.
"It's certainly different from what I was previously involved in," Lauren Brooks said. "But I have been in­volved in rescuing exotics since I was 14."
Brooks was looking for that special lizard last year, about a year after Langer­werf died. He didn't get the reptile because the farm did not have any for sale. In­stead, he got about 200 liz­ards that came with the farm and the house and the land.
"The place needs a new coat of paint, but it's in good condition," Brooks said. "We are in the process of up­dating it into a newer reptile farm."
Currently four species of lizards are being bred at Agama (the scientific name for the water dragon). The premiere lizard is, of course, the Australian water dra­gon, which was Langer­werf's claim to international fame.
Baby crag lizards are on the way, too.
"The crag lizard is from Africa, and is uncommon in the pet trade," Brooks said. "It looks kinda like a lizard that's been run over by a car; it's flat because it likes to nestle in between large rocks."
Brooks said the monkey-tailed skink is a product of Langerwerf's care.
"Agama is the largest breeder of monkey-tailed skinks in the world," he said. "It's an uncommon liz­ard, and Agama is the only facility on record that has ever had a monkey-tailed skink give birth to triplets. Occasionally, a skink -- which gives live birth (rath­er than laying eggs) -- will have two babies, but Bert was able to raise skinks that had triplets.
"He was definitely doing something right," Brooks said.
The fourth species cur­rently being bred at Agama is the Chinese crocodile liz­ard.
"It's quite endangered," Brooks said. "There are only about 3,000 left in the wild.
"We are the largest breeder of this species," he said. "I haven't heard of China hav­ing more than we do."
Again, Brooks credited Langerwerf with the success of the crocodile lizard.
"Bert was one of the pio­neers in their breeding," Brooks said. "He wasn't the first, but he was the best."
Brooks is honing his skills by working with two additional species, the giant Gran Canaria lizard and the Acki monitor.
Brooks said he found notes in journals kept by Langerwerf that talk about his limited work with the species discovered in the Ca­nary Islands.
"These are barking liz­ards," Brooks said. "They sometimes sound like a pup­py barking. I thought they were interesting, and I think people will like them. They're very friendly, and they're omnivores."
The Acki monitor is a relative of the Komodo dragon, but it's much smaller.
It also happens to be popular among reptile aficiona­dos, and Brooks said he is working to ensure that the species he raises are what people want to buy.
"You have to keep up with what's popular," he said. "About every 10 years or so, you have to redo your stock."
Since they're new to the business, Brooks said the website, www.agamainter­national.com, is the primary method of interacting with his clients. He accepts payment through Paypal or money orders. Prices range from about $90 for a baby wa­ter dragon to about $1,000 for an adult monkey-tail skink.
Shipping a lizard takes great care in terms of pack­ing and weather conditions.
"Before I ship anything, I check the weather," Brooks said. "I don't ship when it's too hot or too cold."
Shipping is currently limited to the continental United States, and it is handled by FedEx overnight, Brooks said. Larger lizards are shipped via Delta Dash.
On average, the lizards raised at Agama have a life­span between 20 and 25 years with proper care. He said the reptiles he breeds and sells are harmless and make great pets.
"Nothing we raise is dangerous," Brooks said. "Nothing here will hurt anyone."
Man looks to buy one lizard, winds up with the whole farm