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When Virginia Cahill, a 52-year-old writer and publisher living in Windsor Terrace, saw a flier several years ago for a missing two-headed turtle, she thought it was a joke. Her curiosity led her to Sean Casey Animal Rescue, a neighborhood animal shelter that takes exotic creatures. SCAR had posted the fliers and was offering a $1,000 reward for the safe return of the turtle, which had been snatched from the shelter’s window.
“[It] was indeed true,” recalls Cahill. “Someone had stolen this two-headed turtle.”
While most animal shelters are filled with needy dogs and cats, SCAR is different. Though it places some 2,000 canines and felines in homes each year, SCAR specializes in rescuing, rehabilitating and finding homes for reptiles, amphibians, bunnies, birds and other exotic creatures.
Sean Casey, 32, a lifelong animal lover, opened the SCAR shelter in Windsor Terrace in 2004. It’s since expanded to encompass three facilities: the original, another in Pennsylvania and a new, 5,000-square-foot facility in Sunset Park that opened in April and now houses the majority of Casey’s rescues, which have included alligators, monkeys and even sheep.
“We’ve seen all kinds of things come in,” says Casey. “One of the biggest misconceptions is that you can bring them to the zoo. The zoos are not going to take your iguanas, your turtles.”
Still, even Casey has his limits. “I don’t do big cats [like lions and tigers],” he says with a laugh.
SCAR is the only shelter of its kind in New York, filling a special niche. While many exotics might seem like ideal, easy-to-keep city pets, they often require special diets, lighting and heating. When their owners realize they’re not exactly low-maintenance, they often abandon them.
“Sean Casey is the lifeline for the many exotics that come in to Animal Care & Control,” says Jane Hoffman, president of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals. “But for Sean, a lot of these animals wouldn’t have a home.”
When Cahill first learned about what SCAR was doing, she was inspired and wanted to help. She collaborated with illustrator David G. Klein to publish an art book documenting some of the beautiful, strange animals that Casey has helped. The proceeds from sales of the handmade books, which cost $250 each, all go to SCAR. The book has been available since early this year, and has thus far raised about $1,000.
The animals portrayed in the book include the two-headed turtle (sadly never found) as well as an iguana, a Burmese python, Ghost Dog — a legendary stray pup that Casey rescued from Prospect Park last year — and others.
Not only did Cahill want to help the organization financially, but, she says the book is also meant to raise awareness of it and “archive some of the lives that do go through there [and] document the animals.”
Rhea Nodel, a 56-year-old acupuncturist who lives in Windsor Terrace, is glad she found out about SCAR. She started adopting exotics because the shelter was close to her home, and she now has nearly 30 reptilian pets. “I never thought I wanted a turtle or a snake,” she says. But “I’ve found I love them.”
pets@nypost.com