Trustees at Northern Ireland’s sole reptile rescue have spoken of increasing uncertainty as they appeal for greater support from the public.
Chairperson Lindsey said: “Like most other rescues, we are feeling the pinch of the ongoing cost of living crisis gripping the country. Month by month, our donations are becoming few and far between, but despite this, requests for our assistance are increasing daily. Thankfully we have been able to keep ourselves debt free through careful budgeting, but we are just surviving month to month. As Northern Ireland’s only dedicated reptile rescue, we find ourselves ineligible for many of the animal rescue fundraisers on social media, or local business donations or grants, which focus solely on cat and dog rescues in the province. Instead we must find creative ways to bring in the income ourselves, on top of our own full time jobs and families.
“We are very grateful to our existing supporters, without whom we simply could not continue. We fundraise through sponsorships of permanent residents, and through various online and in person fundraisers. We have a great programme of events planned throughout the year and we would love to see as many people as possible come along and learn more about us and what we do. We have a number of permanent residents that, without us, would have nowhere else to go, for various health or legal reasons. We have also seen a notable decrease in the number of reported abandoned reptiles since we began operating, which reinforces to us our need to continue and grow for the benefit of the greater community.
“If you are considering opening your home to a new pet, why not consider a rescued reptile? They generally make absolutely fantastic pets, requiring less physical space in the home when compared to dogs or cats; and also are less likely to trigger allergies due to the lack of hair and dander. Like all pets, they do require adequate care and prior research into their needs is a must, particularly as they often have much longer life spans than the more traditional pets, and have specific requirements such as heat bulbs and UV lighting to ensure good health. We are always happy to provide advice prior to adoption as well as lifetime back up afterwards. Distance is also no issue for adopting from us, as we are very lucky to be supported by fully licensed couriers S&D’s Critter Company, who will happily transport your new pet to your door.”
The rescue are also calling for responsible pet ownership in the midst of their busiest ever spell.
Trustee Rachael added: “We are seeing unprecedented levels of surrender requests, a large number from those who have grown tired of Christmas gifts or have not carried out sufficient research prior to getting the animal and find themselves in over their heads. Surrender requests currently far outweigh adoption applications. We are constantly at capacity, relying on adoptions to free an enclosure space and allow another unwanted animal safe sanctuary with us. Animals are also coming to us in states of neglect that are requiring months of rehabilitation and extensive veterinary interventions to sort, with some
animals being left with lifelong injuries. These special cases take up enormous amounts of resources, meaning that other animals must wait longer.
“We currently have around 55-60 animals on our waitlist, with 40 of them being aquatic turtles of various species. Turtles have proven to be the most difficult animals to rehome so it is likely we will have to close our doors to aquatics if this level of demand continues. We are concerned that this may lead to a spike in abandonments, which is something we do not want to happen.”
Northern Ireland Exotic Sanctuary is the country’s only dedicated reptile rescue, taking in unwanted, abandoned and neglected snakes, lizards, tortoises, turtles, as well as amphibians and invertebrates.
The rescue is run by two trustees and a small team of dedicated volunteers, overseeing the care and socialisation of the animals as well as fundraising and the adoption of their residents. They have capacity for just over 100 animals including a dedicated quarantine area and receive no funding or consistent source of income, instead relying on their own fundraising efforts and the support of the public.
The next fundraising event is a pet equipment sale and craft fair on Saturday 3rd May in Tullycarnet Presbyterian Church Hall, Dundonald.
More information, including animals for adoption and ways you can support the rescue can be found on their website northernirelandexotics.co.uk or linktr.ee/NIExotics