International Reptile Rescue has been rescuing reptiles and animals since the mid 1970's. We were originally known as Hart's Reptile World, which was started by Mary Esther Hart, and open to the public as an educational Exhibit for over 30 years.

We closed to the public in 2001 and now devote all our time and money to rescuing and our Educational Outreach Programs.

Due to travel expenses, cost of animal care and getting the high volume of rescues, to which we were unable to finance ourselves, we decided to go non-profit in 2009.

The name International Reptile Rescue was chosen because since the early 1980's we’ve gotten animal care inquiries from all over the world.

Even though we're non-profit we don't get donations like rescues that have animals with fluffy faces that can tug at your heart strings. We still almost exclusively fund the rescue with our money. We do have a few volunteers and foster’s that are truly rescue angels as they use their own money also.

In this time of immediate access to information its unbelievable the amount of misinformation that many still believe. All snakes and lizards bite, turtles carry diseases, etc. Most can’t even tell the difference, or care to know, the difference between a venomous and non-venomous snake.

The saying “the only good snake is a dead snake” is still the belief of many. Its truly shameful if you call yourself an animal lover.

Our “rescue van” has died for the last time. Both the transmission and brakes have gone out and to fix them is more than the van is worth. To which we don’t have the money to fix it either.

This year alone we’ve put on over 90,000 miles with numerous trips to California, Washington, Colorado, Montana, Idaho and all places in-between.

In the past we've purchased the van ourselves and let IRR use it but can no longer afford to do so. So we’re asking for your help to get a new or good used van. Some think $10 or $20 won’t help but it does. Consider if 5 of you get together and donate $10 or $20 each that’s $50 or $100 right there. That adds up.

For the time being we’re afoot and relying on the generosity of others to get us around and/or pick up animals.

Please visit our historical website www.internationalreptilerescue.com which has newspaper articles going back to the early 1970’s on us. Also, visit our awesome FB page where we post rescues and updates.

If you call yourself a real animal lover, not just a lover of dogs and cats, then please consider making a donation. All animals deserve love and respect. Please help us get a van to continue saving lives and give an abused, neglected or abandoned reptile a second chance for a good home.