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Mission: To find unwanted reptiles new homes, provide sanctuary for reptiles that are not adoptable and to be a source of information for people through education.
History:
The Serpent Sanctuary started in 1997 when my ex-husband and I saw an ad in a local pet store for two free Iguanas, we had three snakes at the time and thought Iguanas would be fun. Boy were we wrong! The Iguanas were left behind after their owner went to jail. The apartment manager had them in his office until he found a place for them; his manager wanted him to throw them in the snow. We called and got the Iguanas, they were sick and malnourished and we got a crash course in Iguana care. Long story short we thought maybe there was a need for a reptile rescue and we were right. We put up four flyers around town and with in 6 months we had 150 animals. It has slowed down since then but we took in about 30-60 animals a year. I still have one of the two Iguanas as a reminder of why I do this. Update: Ditty, our first rescue has passed on, hearts are broken but not our spirits, we continue on for Ditty.
About Us: The Serpent Sanctuary was founded by Heather Suchomel in 1997. Everything was funded out of pocket by Heather until 2003 when the Serpent Sanctuary went non-profit as a project of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs and received its first grant in 2005. The sanctuary takes in between 20 and 50 animals a year with some years exceeding well over that. All animals that come into the shelter are evaluated for adoptability and place up for adoption. Any animal that is not adoptable is either treated medically or socialized until they are deemed healthy and/or safe to be released into a new home. Any animal that is never adopted due to health or temperament will become a permanent resident of the sanctuary to live out their lives in comfort. The Serpent Sanctuary is a no-kill shelter. The sanctuary is not a hoarding rescue and not a collection either. A few animals stay with us for most of their lives to be used in educational demonstrations with children but will be retired when the time is appropriate.
