Desperate future for reptiles dumped at rescue centre who could be culled
Reptile handler Abbie Taylor carefully unpacks two pythons and two boa constrictors, all former pets whose owners are unable to keep them.
She inspects and weighs each snake before setting it aside in a temporary tank. “I’ve no idea where we’re going to put them all,” the volunteer, 29, sighs. It is 11am and this is already the second “delivery” of the day at Britain’s largest reptile rescue centre - two leopard tortoises were dropped off first thing this morning.
Moments later, a man arrives to drop off two more boas, then at 5pm another ten reptiles - including three more snakes and two crested geckos - arrive in a mass delivery. Unbelievably, this is considered a “quiet day” at the National Centre for Reptile Welfare in Kent, where intake has doubled from 1,148 in 2020 to 2,278 so far this year.
(Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)We are here with centre director Chris Newman and his team, who are currently receiving up to 15 callouts or drop offs a day - double what they used to. Depending on species, the cost of feeding and heating reptiles can surpass £500 a year. And owners are increasingly surrendering them at the centre, citing soaring energy bills amid the cost-of-living crisis, Chris tells us.
Volunteer Chris - who is currently working 15-hour days to meet demand - explains: “It has been nothing short of chaos. The challenge is looking after all of the animals and simply finding space for everything. The cost of running heat lamps to keep the reptiles warm is proving too much for a lot of the owners. In some cases, financial circumstances are forcing people to move to smaller homes or flats without gardens which means they can no longer keep their reptiles.
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(Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)“It’s very upsetting for them to have to give up their animals. I don’t agree with those who say you can’t love a reptile the way you do a cat or dog - you absolutely can.” Chris, 64, and his team of 14 volunteers are bracing themselves for their busiest winter ever - and even fear having to cull animals. We are dreading this winter,” he shudders. “We fear it is getting to the point where we have so little space and resources that the only thing you can do is euthanise.”
The creatures brought to the centre now are often bigger and more valuable compared to a year ago, he says. They include four giant Aldabra tortoises that arrived at the centre in June, and a rare Cuban Iguana called Jake. Earlier this year, an American alligator and dwarf crocodile arrived, and have since been rehomed. In each case, the owners could no longer afford to keep them, Chris says.
(Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)And while intake of reptiles at the centre has leapt by 30 per cent in the past year, the number that have been rehomed has dropped by 20 per cent. During our visit, Chris and his team receive eighteen reptiles - but no rehoming enquiries. One struggling owner calls in and begs Chris to pick up his 51 pet reptiles later that week. Recently, 126 reptiles were dropped off in one go after another rescue centre went bust. Once a week volunteers drive reptiles that have been relinquished at 100 drop-off points around the UK to the centre in Kent.
Today’s haul includes tortoises from a man in Glasgow who cannot afford to keep them warm, and a python whose owner in Cardiff is having to move back in with his parents. The centre runs 24/7 and Chris regularly receives emergency calls from police and fire services asking him to take in more reptiles at 1am.
He admits: “It’s stressful but if we don’t take them in, there’s nowhere for these animals to go.” Volunteers are trying to raise £100,000 to build an extension to cope with demand. And Chris is careful to ensure anyone who wishes to rehome a reptile is fully briefed on the costs of owning one. “We make sure that person is responsible,” he adds. “The last thing we want is for a rehomed animal to end up back here.” Support the National Centre for Reptile Welfare at www.gofundme.com
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