Reptile Guy Rescue denies cruelty, but may quit the lizard rehab biz
'I love reptiles. I've always loved reptiles,' says Mike Hopcroft
Mike Hopcroft is thinking of giving up his life-long love of rescuing reptiles, after an SPCA raid.
Hopcroft, founder of Reptile Guy Rescue and Education Centre in Mission, B.C., was raided by the B.C. SPCA which removed 14 reptiles, 46 rats and six dead animals from his centre on Dec. 2.
Hopcroft calls the raid "harassment" and denies any allegations of cruelty to the reptiles or rats he breeds for feed. He says he tries to rehabilitate animals, not hurt them.
"[Animal welfare groups] would love it if we were gone," Hopcroft told CBC on Sunday. "I'm starting to question if I want to do this anymore. It's just a constant uphill battle."
"They've always had this thing out for reptiles," he added. "I love reptiles. I've always loved reptiles."
Hopcroft has more than 300 reptiles — including lizards and snakes — at his rescue centre. He says he provides a valuable service in his efforts to rehabilitate animals that others mistreat or tire of. He also hosts birthday parties and does class presentations.
Hopcroft said animal welfare organizations would be better off going after the "source," which he described as pet stores that breed or sell the animals, or provide poor care. He claims he's tipped off the B.C. SPCA to several shady vendors, but nothing was done.
"We've called the SPCA about those stores, nothing happens. And then they are going to come after me," he said.
"They come in here and they tell us we have overcrowding and cages too small. What do they keep their cats in? What do they keep their dogs in?" said Hopcroft.
"Snakes are curled up most of the time," he added.
Hopcroft admits when he was a "young and stupid" teenager he did breed a few reptiles thinking he could make money, but soon realized he did not want to be part of a growing problem.
Hopcroft said he no longer breeds or sells reptiles, but he has bought about 15 animals including a Green Tree Python from Red Deer, Alberta, as a display animal.
"There's people on Facebook who say 'he takes in these rescues and breeds them and sells them'. We don't do that here." Hopcroft said. "It's very frustrating. It's taking its toll, I'm not going to lie."
Years ago Hopcroft said he rescued a tortoise somebody had fastened a handle to, by drilling through its shell.
More recently he said he was given a bearded dragon by an SPCA volunteer who had rescued the lizard from a "crack addict."
SPCA officials said they inspected Hopcroft after a complaint about animals in distress.
The SPCA's Marcie Moriarty said animals were found suffering from dehydration, lack of access to water, lack of UV lighting, inadequate space and various veterinary treatment needs.
"Mr. Hopcraft could have easily rectified everything that was identified," said Moriarty. "These are concerns the SPCA have had before."
with files from Yvette Brend