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PatentiereOur tortoise Morla and the two snakes Elisa & Norman
Many people are fascinated by reptiles. However, these exotic creatures often cannot be kept in a species-appropriate manner in private households. The animals are therefore often given away if the owners are unable to cope with the demands. This presents animal shelters and rescue centers with major challenges. To support them, we opened a reptile station at our Weidefeld animal welfare center in 2016. In Weidefeld, visitors can meet numerous reptile species, all of which have been housed here in species-appropriate conditions. And best of all - you can support the animals with a sponsorship.
Check out our German-language website to become a sponsor
Three of these reptile sponsored animals are introduced in more detail here:
MorlaSnapping turtle
Morla came to us in 2021 as a found animal at the reptile station of the Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center on the Baltic Sea.
Thousands of turtles are abandoned every year. This is a major problem, as animal shelters and rescue centers are not equipped to keep large species that are potentially dangerous to humans, such as the snapping turtle. This is why, where possible, they refer them to expert and specialized rescue centres such as our Weidefeld Animal Welfare Centre.
Morla was also allowed to move to a spacious, snapping turtle-safe pond after a week's quarantine. The female turtle is around 35 centimetres long and weighed around eight and a half kilograms on arrival - so she is not yet fully grown. Snapping turtles can grow up to 45 centimetres long and weigh up to 16 kilograms. Morla's exact age is unknown.
The tortoise is not necessarily a credit to its species, as it has never really snapped since it arrived in Weidefeld. Rather, she is a calm and curious animal, likes to explore the banks of her pond and is happy about every treat her keepers give her. You can tell that she likes them by the fact that Morla has already put on three kilograms since her arrival with us. An impressive weight gain, especially when you consider that the friendly turtle lady spends the winter months sleeping.
Support our Morla with a sponsorship.
ElisaEmperor boa
We don't know much about Elisa's past. She was first taken in by an animal shelter in June 2017 and five months later was one of the first residents to move into our still young reptile house at the Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center.
Elisa is a lovely, quiet snake who prefers to sleep the day away. No wonder: emperor boas are crepuscular and nocturnal. During the day, they hide in shelters such as caves and holes in trees. Of course, they can also do this in their large terrarium in the reptile house.
Adult emperor boas are between one and three meters long. They are mainly found on the west and east coast of Mexico as well as in Central America and Colombia. The animals prefer to live near water with high humidity and dense bushes. In our reptile house, we try to provide Elisa and her conspecifics with conditions that are as similar as possible so that they feel comfortable and stay healthy.
Elisa is always happy to have new sponsors - support her with a sponsorship.
NormanReticulated python
Norman the reticulated python was confiscated by the authorities in March 2019 and brought to our reptile house along with other snakes. The reticulated python is a non-poisonous species of constrictor snake that is naturally native to Southeast Asia, where it mainly lives in or near wetlands in rainforests and swamps.
Reticulated pythons can grow up to seven meters long and reach a weight of 50 kilograms. They can even become dangerous to humans when they reach a length of around three meters. For this reason, keeping them is not permitted in some federal states.
Due to this size and its associated physical strength, the reticulated python is also considered a very demanding snake species by terrarium keepers and should not be kept by amateurs or beginners.
Norman lives in one of our large terrarium rooms with lots of hiding places, structures and bathing opportunities.
Norman would be delighted if you would support him with a sponsorship.
Your contact:
Sponsor communication team
(Mo-Fri from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.)