Jul 17, 2009

Reptile Rescuer

Bring him your scaley and cold-blooded masses. He's Al Wolf, and he operates Sonoma County Reptile Rescue. As a former San Francisco Zoo manager, he has ample experience in dealing with wild animals. He now uses that skill set, developed over years, as a reptile wrangler who will travel across 15 counties to pick up reptiles, be they wild or pets, who need rescue.

How much does he charge for this valuable service? Nada. And he's able to find homes for nearly all of his charges.

Here he is grappling with an aggressive Savannah monitor. These Old World lizards are of the Varanidae family. Their Latin name, Varanus, comes from the Arabic word, waran. Waran, in turn, stems from the superstitious belief that Nile Monitors could warn of the presence of crocodiles. Kind of like how Bilbo's Sting could warn of the presence of Orcs.

Thanks for the article, Theodosia.

Photo source: Paul Chinn / SF Gate

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a young one.

These buggers grow up to 7 feet long and have become unwanted residents of S.W. Florida, particularly Sanibel & Captiva Island.

They are aggressive and eat rodents, other reptiles, amphibians, birds, small mammals, insects and eggs from nests they raid. They can swim and burrow and like the Burmese Python, are a major threat to Florida wildlife.

Unknown said...

Hey, too bad I didn't know about this guy when I had Radu.

Raging Wombat said...

Kelly, where did you get the name Radu?

patrick said...

that is not a young one... it is a full grown adult. they get 3-4 full grown are are some of the smaller monitors. he is grappling with an aggressive savannah monitor?? it is just laying in his hands and not struggling in any way. savannahs tame quit easily in captivity with amble attention and work. AND like burmese pythons these guys are not nearly as big a threat as feral cats or hogs.

Stephanie Estruch said...

i love lizards. they remind me of me deceases great grandmother.

Ugly Animals said...

HATS OFF to this guy! I hate reptiles in any form they are I wonder what makes them touch and care for these creatures. God bless them!