Jungle Things Oregon slithering to the rescue

ROSEBURG, Ore. Our local animal shelters do so much to help rescue all the furry and four-legged friends in the community. But what about the reptiles that need rescuing? That’s where Jungle Things Oregon comes slithering to the rescue.

Jungle Things Oregon owner, Anna Provansal says it all started when someone posted about a reptile in need of rescuing on a Facebook group for exotic plants. Having some experience with reptiles, Anna rose to the occasion. “Once I realized that there was a huge need I kept getting them more and more put on me. We set up with a vet and found out there was no reptile rescues in the state, so we went through the licensing through the department of agriculture, got that all set up, now we’re a licensed reptile rescue.” According to Anna, hers is the only reptile rescue of its kind in the entire state of Oregon.

For Anna, it’s about more than rescuing these animals. “I’m hoping that with more education and proper care we can lessen the amount of animals coming in to the rescue.” She said Jungle Things Oregon is also hoping to expand their volunteer base, and by doing so increase the number of animals they’re able to help. Jungle Things Oregon also hosts low cost vet clinics.

One thing Anna said surprised her in doing this type of rescue work, was the immense need. She said some people either don’t know there is an option to surrender their reptiles, or are concerned about the judgement that comes with surrendering a pet. “It was kind of shocking to realize that reptiles, they don’t really have rights and nobody really. They don’t treat them like cats and dogs, they don’t necessarily give them the same feelings and stuff. That was a little shocking and hopefully something I can change.”

Jungle Things Oregon’s website offers easy online options to adopt or foster animals, but also to surrender an animal if needed. Anna said that the intake process starts with a 30 day quarantine and assessment, to determine whether the animal has any medical needs to address. From there Anna and her staff will determine if the animal can be put up for adoption, of if they’re better suited for the rescue’s educational ambassador program.

The animals that are not suited for either program are usually put in the hospice program. “We do have several people who do hospice off site for us, for animals that I’m not comfortable putting down, they still have quality of life, but they are on their last leg and we probably shouldn’t adopt them or use them for education.”