In the middle of a dirt road surrounded by solar panels sits a building with a sign attached by magnets that reads “Tortugas Reptile Rescue.”
“There's lots of places for dogs and cats, but not as many for turtles and bearded dragons and snakes," Malia Flood said.
Malia Flood moved to Las Cruces a few years ago in search of volunteer work at a reptile rescue. When she realized there were none in town, she decided to start her own.
A bearded dragon rests on top of her hat as she opens the doors to her rescue. His name is Simon.
He seems healthy, relaxed and doesn’t scurry at the sight of new visitors. One wouldn’t guess that Simon was once a pet that experienced months of neglect.
“The first day I had him, he was completely skinny, emaciated, dehydrated and, the next morning when I went into the rescue, I had actually thought he had passed," Flood said. "I took everything out of his enclosure. I turned off all the lights. I got a little box …"
But as Flood took Simon out of his enclosure and prepared to lay him to rest, something surprising happened.
He moved his arm.
“It scared me — I just about dropped him!" Flood said. "But after being neglected for so long, I truly think it's amazing that he is so personable and tolerable. He is great with kids. He is very calm.”
Of all the rescued reptiles, Flood says Simon was the closest to death, so far, that has come back.
In the last year and a half, about 15 reptiles have found new homes and currently about 12 others join Simon at the rescue. Because Flood doesn’t have a permit from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to rescue wildlife, all reptiles she receives are surrendered pets.
“They all have a different story, and there's hundreds of different reasons why owners need to surrender their animals, from the previous owner has passed, to we're now moving – we can't take it with us," Flood said. "I’m not here to question why it needs to be surrendered. I'm just here to give it a place to be surrendered.”
The American Pet Products Association did a survey last year that showed an estimated 4% of US households own reptiles as pets. This percentage may be small, but it is increasing, prompting researchers to look further into how to properly care for these animals.
Flood says, because these studies are fairly new, many misconceptions about reptiles still exist, not only about their general care, but their lifespan and how large they may grow.
“I wish more people knew how long they actually lived," she said. "Simon — if I'm lucky — I'm going to get like 12-15 years out of this guy. So, it's not just like, 'Oh, I can get this, it'll entertain me for a couple of years and then be done with it.' That animal's going to stick around for a while.”
According to Reptiles Magazine, sulcata tortoises, bearded dragons and ball pythons are most often surrendered, all of which are at the rescue.
| 
|
The sulcata tortoise, for example, can live well past 100 years and can grow to be the size of a baby goat, says Flood, much larger than how tiny they are when people adopt them from pet stores.
For anyone who would like to test out reptile ownership, Flood offers a month-long foster program where she provides all the equipment and care instructions. She also takes other steps to raise awareness and fill information gaps.
“I really want to get the community involved," Flood said. "I want to be a part of the community. You know, this is only going to work when people know. So, gotta tell them about it.”
Tortugas Reptile Rescue is a nonprofit funded by community donations and run with the help of volunteers. The first Saturday of every month, they host a workshop, craft or educational program, and sometimes, will take ambassador reptiles to schools to educate children there.
“When I walk into a classroom, and I take this big snake out of this box and people are like, ‘Oh my gosh, get that away from me,' and by the end of the presentation, they're willing to touch this animal," Flood said. "It is just really a magic moment. I think that everyone should be able to experience something like that.”
Serena Johnson is a fellow with the New Mexico Local News Fellowships and Internships Program, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across New Mexico. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.
