Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I would like to start a reptile rescue in wyoming. How would I go about this. I have already taken in a couple of gators and some boids. But I would like to be able to adopt more reptiles. Also if anyone can help, my wife and I would really like to start a reptile park or zoo. Any suggestion on how to go about this?

Sincerly,

Michael

I want a reptile park too. Just started thinking about it. To me it seems you need a good location, a good business plan, and lots of capital. But I'd love to hear from anyone who actually did this.
I also wish I didn't live in the same county as the Columbus Zoo, because I really like the area.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

I was thinking of doing this myself also, but I do not have the space until June. I am in the process of researching this & working out the formal kinks...

Does your city/region have a pet publication (i.e. Petfolio) or even a weekly pet section in the newspaper? If so, there should be a section for rescue organizations & you can contact these papers to get your new "organization" listed. Make sure you say you are starting a new charity & they should help you out with ads, listings, etc.

Do you want to adopt out the animals you rescue? If so, would you require a fee in order to adopt? You'll need to distinguish your charity as profit or non-profit. I believe that if it's for profit, you will need a business license/contract, depending on your state. If it's non-profit, you can say "donations are accepted but not required." However, if you provide vet care out of your own pocket, then you reserve the right to ask for money like the SPCA does.

Utilize newspapers for ads... you can have an ad with the "rescued reptile of the month" or seomthing of that sort, with a description of your rescue efforts & the reptile itself.

Contact local pet-related stores (even the internet based ones)for sponsorships. Sometimes you will come upon a generous business that will help you out with donations. However, most will ask for "credentials." This is a kink of mine... it helps if you are "listed" first.

Also utilize the internet, like Kingsnake's rescue network. If you make a website, maintain it. I am in the process of trying to figure out how to get a dot org site. Anyone know how to do this???

Contact your local animal shelters, like the city's Animal Services/Animal Control, the Humane Society & the SPCA to tell them of your rescue org & hopefully they will cooperate & let you know if/when they have reptiles in or if they recieve any calls. Make sure you speak with who's in charge, not just anyone at the front desk. If they are too busy to call you or email you, then you can call them every 5 days or so. The HS & SPCA out here do not take in reptiles, not sure if it's like that everywhere else?

I am also in the process of figuring out how to get free grants/money from the state government. Here in NV, they hand out grants like water b/c of that big tobacco settlement 4 years ago.

Hope this helped a little... I'm no expert & I'm giving hints based upon what I learned so far here in NV, though I plan to move back to CA.
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Danielle
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1.0 green water dragon, 0.4 leos, 1.0 iguana, 0.1 beardie, 2.0 green anoles, 1.0 blue anole, 1.0 rosy boa & 2.2 bettas ~My Pets~

Be cautious about giving your name out to too many groups at once - I think I put my name out there too much too fast, and I had no idea how much of a need there REALY IS for reptile rescue. I'm asked to place 70 or more animals a year now, just turtles and tortoises, and there's no way I can take in that many. The public doesn't understand when you are full and can't take thier animal - they think you should be the end all, cure all for their problems. Make sure you have all of your ducks in a row before putting your name out there too much, or you'll be quickly overwhelmed by the numbers of surrendered animals.

The first thing to do would be to check your state and local ordinances to make sure it's legal to run a home-based rescue or even a shelter or sanctuary (if you can afford something that large) in your area. More and more states are trying to pass laws requiring licensing and inspection for anyone placing more than 25 animals a year. This is where other local rescues can help. Then get the paperwork in order - surrender forms, adoption application, adoption contracts, ect.

Decide if you want to become an official non-profit. There's a good book out there, "How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation" by Anthony Mancuso that is a valuable resource. While you don't have to be a 501(c) non-profit to do rescue, it lends credibility in the eyes of many authorities if you are.

Katrina

Best bet for info is to volunteer at herp clubs that do rescues and placements. Even if you decide to open a zoo or a park it wont be much of an attraction with 100's of iguanas and not much else. At some point you will need to start finding homes. A place that I find works out well with everyone is the school system. Lots of classes will take in a pet to teach about responsibility, care for animals ect. This brings up another point however. You need to be pretty much a guru about all species because you recieve pretty much everything. Never stop researching, keep in touch with others in the herping community, and never be afraid to ask for help. The image you present will be seen by many who look to you for help. In our reptile society in Edmonton, Alberta there is a network of people who have their own "specialties" if the adoption crew needs to ask for help. Just be humble and work on that reptile library.
Does Wyoming need a zoo permit? Also going to zoo management school (There's one advert. in Reptiles magazine in the classifieds) or becomeing a vet tech. would greatly help in your endeavors. Good luck, the process will weed out all but the most dedicated, but if you succeed, the world needs more of ya

Hi,

I've started two different rescue efforts in two different states. Here's what I did both times:

1) Make a flyer detailing which types of animals you'll take, and how to contact you. Be sure to include any fees that you request for either incoming or outgoing animals. (You don't have to be specific, just mention if fees are applicable.)

2) Put those flyers up in every pet store, vet office, etc. Anything animal-related is a must place. Then also hit any other places that will let you put them up - convenience stores, community bulletin boards, etc.

3) Make a point of meeting the reptile vets nearest you, even if that's an hour or three away. They will be more likely to refer people to you if they've met you in person.

Slowly, you WILL start getting calls. Now, here's what I recommend you do BEFORE you get started (words of wisdom, learned from hindsight):

A) Decide how much space/time/money you're able to put into this. Don't think, "Oh, I'll put whatever is needed" because then you've set no limits, and you'll be more likely to let yourself get overwhelmed. Decide up front, "OK, I have 5 cages available of 55 gallons or smaller, so I can take in no more than 5 reptiles that would fit in those cages" or something similar. As you get more space (as in, you move to a larger house, not as in you sell all your furniture to make room for more cages - don't laugh, I did that once...) you can start taking in more/bigger animals. Just don't try to squish a 5' iguana into a 55 gallon tank because the owner threatened to release it into the wild.

B) Start looking for help immediately. Look for other folks who can help you, even if it's just an hour a week. It adds up!

C) Practice saying the word "no". Practice at least an hour a week for 6 months before you start taking in reptiles. (OK, I'm exaggerating here, but seriously, you have to be able to turn away animals you're not prepared for.) Refer to letter A above.

D) Make sure that you are following the best practices of the herp industry. I swear I still know people who insist on feeding their iguanas monkey chow and dog food, despite all the literature to the contrary. If you look like an uneducated idiot, people will spread that word, and you won't be able to help the animals you love.

E) Have people/places that you can count on for quick education about new species. My saving grace was that I'm a computer geek, and have been online since 1992 (yes, there was an internet back then). I've learned a lot this way, and continue to do so when new animals come in. I don't have to know everything, but I do have to know where I can learn what I need.

Good luck!!
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Bonnie Keller
VA Reptile Rescue
www.vareptilerescue.org

I'm thinking that I'd like to put my name out there so the reptiles will skip that step. The shelter doesn't know what to do with them so they sit for the required five days and then they call me. In most cases, I'd rather that they just came straight to me.