GoFundMe established after fire at Gator Farm
By Owen Woods | owen@alamosacitizen.com
A community fundraiser for the Colorado Gators Reptile Sanctuary is open. Their goal of $150,000 is already making headway with over $19,000 in donations in its first 24 hours.
“It is our deep regret that a fire destroyed the Colorado Gator Reptile Sanctuary early this morning,” Writes Mark Young on the GoFundMe page. “My Mom, Dad and brother Jay Young, have put their whole life into saving orphaned animals and reptiles. Only a few survived the fire. They had close to 1000 orphaned animals they had taken in over the last 40 years. Please help with $100 or anything you can to help them rebuild this important place. They have given animals from all over the world a home so they wouldn’t be destroyed.”
A fire at the Colorado Gator Farm was called in at 4:35 a.m. on Tuesday, April 18. The reptile barn near the entrance of the park was a total loss, along with most of the animals inside. Many of them were rescues. Tortoises, turtles and snakes, birds, and even cats perished in the fire. In a Tuesday Facebook post, Colorado Gators said three dwarf caiman and several turtles and tortoises were rescued by the Mosca-Hooper Fire Department.
No foul play is suspected at this time, and the fire department is still investigating.
Fortunately, all alligators and crocodiles who resided outside that building were unharmed. The fish building where many other turtles, fish and sharks were housed also were unharmed.
“We are devastated,” they write. “But there is positive to focus on. And we have hundreds of animals that are healthy that we still need to take care of. Prayers are appreciated. We will get through this. Can’t change it, we just have to deal with it and go on. The damage is extensive and the cleanup will take a while but we will go on. A huge thanks to Mosca-Hooper Fire Department for keeping it from spreading to other structures and saving what you could. Our heroes.”
