After Tropical Storm Irene blew through New York City, a 10-foot python was found curled up in the sink of an apartment in Brooklyn. The illegal pet — many reptile species are outlawed in the city — was taken to an Animal Control & Care shelter.
For Robert Shapiro, this is yet another example of snake ownership gone wrong.
Shapiro, 55, began rescuing neglected animals 20 years ago when he stumbled upon a Dumpster — “teeming like a giant bowl of cornflakes” — full of dying baby water turtles in Chinatown.
“People buy the turtles by the millions with the intention of selling them, but they don’t feed them or care for them properly,” he explains. “And then people take one home and put it in water. Guess what? Water kills water turtles.”
Shapiro collected the 32 turtles that were still lively enough to make their way out of the trash bin, stuck them in his pockets and took them home for rehabilitation. After warming them with intense heat and giving them antibiotics, all but two survived.
And so his rescue organization was born. Social Tees Animal Rescue, a hybrid socially conscious T-shirt shop and rescue facility, is located in the heart of the East Village at 124 E. Fourth St. There, Shapiro rehabilitates reptiles as well as cats and dogs. Once his reptiles are healthy he finds societies or experienced owners and collectors to send them to, who can assure that they’ll thrive in the proper environment for their species.
According to Shapiro, most of the reptiles that he receives come from “pet shops and idiots.”
“If you walk into a pet shop with money, you’re never going to get rejected. And yet they don’t give you any advice about caring for your pet.” He also notes that many items people leave a pet store with — a fish tank, light bulb, screen cover and live food — can all kill a reptile, specifically snakes.
“They’re natural hiders. Every time you see one in nature it either got annoyed, was chased or was hungry or thirsty. Put them in a clear fish tank and they’ll just try to get out to find cover. The tank cover will act like a cheese grater on their face, and they refuse to eat when their mouths are damaged. And their live food will end up eating them. That’s why I get so many nearly dead snakes.”
The fact that many species of venomous reptiles are illegal in New York City is controversial. According to Steve Roussis, owner of Roussis Reptiles, owning and caring for snakes can be a wonderful learning experience for kids — one that he credits with his lifelong passion for reptiles.
Shapiro, on the other hand, disagrees.
“A lot of my reptile-loving friends will argue with me, but I completely side with the laws. I’ve seen too many mistreated reptiles.”
Shapiro also receives plenty of reptiles from Central Park. Well-meaning owners will often go there to release their pets, not knowing that these species don’t know how to survive in chilly temperatures.
For that reason, Shapiro rarely adopts reptiles out to interested people.
“The public comes in to get dogs and cats from me, but for the most part I send reptiles to professionals who know how to care for them. Most people can’t pass a two-second test.”
He has made exceptions for his volunteers, who own snakes, because they have passed muster and can come to him for advice.
“Mammals instinctively know how to take care of other mammals, but when it comes to something different, treating it like a mammal won’t work,” he says. “Giving a snake the great outdoors when it wants to hide in some crevice or putting a water turtle in water? It’s just wrong.”
As for Shapiro’s advice about which reptiles make the best pets for a properly trained owner?
“It’s not my job to decide that. I just save all of God’s creatures.”