Several reptilian creatures have died in an accidental fire at the Reptile Reserve of Southwest Colorado near the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park.
The fire started about 5 p.m. Nov. 21, in a building that houses reptiles during the winter, said Jeff Thulin, owner of the reserve. A heat lamp used to keep chicks warm fell over, starting the blaze, he said.
Most of the creatures survived the fire because it was discovered quickly, and the Mancos Fire Protection District made a fast response, Thulin said. However, five iguanas, an alligator and two pythons died from smoke inhalation and burns. "Reptiles have a really hard time with smoke," he said. "We're still losing things.
"We've lost just a small percentage really. I don't want people to think that they're all gone, because they're not."
The Reptile Reserve has been in existence for six years. It is located six miles west of Mancos, just east of the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park on the south side of U.S. Highway 160. It is open from May 1 through late September.
During the summer months, visitors can view about 150 rattlesnakes, four boa constrictors, a couple of pythons, American alligators, turtles and tortoises. On any given weekend, Thulin feeds the snakes several dozen chicks.
Thulin also makes his animals available to movie productions. The most recent film he worked on is "The Missing," a "twisted" Western directed by Ron Howard in New Mexico.
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