Sssssaving sssssnakes: Elloree woman offers haven for reptiles

ELLOREE, S.C. — Orangeburg County has long had an adoption site for cats and dogs. And more recently, a Pine Hill couple began rescuing and adopting horses. Now add a haven for snakes, lizards and the like.

“Fangs and Scales,” is basically a one-woman rescue operation run by Elloree resident Anne Kirby. It began when Kirby would assist turtles that were crossing the road.

“Then at about age 10 or 11,” she says, “I got into snakes.”

Why snakes?

“A matter of preference,” she said. “Besides, snakes are easy to care for.”

Kirby recalls some of her earlier rescues.

Her first was about seven years ago when Kirby went to a flea market and came home with a ball python.

“This guy had a python and said that it ate frogs. They don’t. They only eat rodents. Obviously he didn’t know anything about snakes.”

She said, “Pythons are not a short-term commitment.”

According to Kirby, pythons are not aggressive, although they can and will bite, particularly if they are shedding.

She explains another rescue involving yet another python she named “Mr. Hiss.”

“I was in a pet shop in Summerville and I got into a conversation with a man who said that he was there to trade his snake. Then he asked me if I wanted it.

“I took it home.

“Turns out that it had respiratory problems and internal parasites. We did treatments.

“But Mr. Hiss later died.”

“Lucky” was another liberated python.

“She was so limp when we got her. She also had respiratory problems and parasites. Not only that, but she was in the same cage with a red-tailed. That’s a no-no. You don’t mix species.

“And this one had no water and no lights.”

According to Kirby, all her snakes are tame and she will adopt out as many as she can. Her only requirement for adoption is that you have a basic knowledge of snakes. However, snakes are not the only critters that have sought safety in Kirby’s domain. Geckos and iguanas have also been relocated to Elloree.

For further information on “Fangs and Scales,” contact Anne Kirby at vixey_dimera@hotmail.com