Dumped strangulation snakes and hit turtles in good hands at Zwanenburg shelter

In the eighties Rob Dumont started taking care of reptiles at his home in his apartment in Haarlem. “Cats and dogs are taken care of when they end up on the street. I wanted to take care of animals that have a harder time, reptiles,” says Rob. “And with snakes, the adventurous also plays a part, of course.”

The reception at Rob’s home got out of hand at one point. “I had cages and terrariums everywhere, even in the toilet. That went too far. That’s how the shelter in Zwanenburg came about.”

Rob’s right hand is Bianca Oudhoff. She manages the volunteer employees, helps to clean the pens and, together with Rob, she takes care of the large strangulation snakes. “We always do that together because you have to keep a close eye on those animals,” says Rob. “In principle, such a strangler snake can kill you in thirty seconds. Then it wraps itself around you and squeezes your lungs.”

Caution is therefore advised. Bianca is not afraid of anything and holds the head of a python in her hands with long pink nails. “I don’t think it’s scary because I grew up with it. I walked around here as a little girl,” says Bianca.

30 eggs per nest

Rob and Bianca take in a lot of bearded dragons. Why are so many of them taken care of? “At a certain point, those critters were very popular and everyone wanted one,” says Rob. “People often buy a couple and if you consider that a female can lay up to five nests with thirty eggs, you understand that there is a surplus. We then have to deal with the consequences.”

Volunteer Maaike likes the bearded dragons. “When I clean their loft, I regularly put them on my shoulder. I also think they look very funny,” explains Maaike. When asked what friends think of her working at the Reptile Sanctuary, she laughs: “Weird!”

Rob and the volunteers do the work with heart and soul. They depend on sponsors and donations for their survival. In 2021 Rob was named Animal Rescuer of the Year. The amount of money he received, Rob immediately put back into the Reptile Shelter.

Barely

Only once in his career has Rob been bitten by a snake. A moment of carelessness in tending to a venomous snake nearly killed him. “Despite my enormous responsiveness, he just hit me with a tooth,” says Rob.

Major surgery on his hand and arm ultimately saved Rob’s life. Still, the incident didn’t detract from his love for snakes and reptiles. “I will continue to take care of them. I just do that”, Rob concludes with a smile on his face.