They spelled his name wrong, btu he made the newpaper.
Hey Ray, wish you the best getting things back in order, and when you do post some pics of that 100 pound gopher tortoise mentioned in the article
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PORT ST. LUCIE — While most people took refuge with family members or fled Hurricane Frances, Raymond Gonshaw and Kristina Turk rode out the storm in Fort Pierce with 400 reptiles.
Gonshaw, president of the St. Lucie Regional Herpetological Society, owns his own reptile breeding and rescue operation.
But, what's a reptile breeder with an assortment of alligators, poisonous snakes and 100-pound gopher tortoises to do when a hurricane threatens the area?
"If we didn't have all the animals, we'd definitely be getting out," Gonshaw said Thursday. "But there's absolutely no place you can take 400 animals."
And, that's not to mention the 1,000 mice and rats needed to feed the animals for about two weeks.
Gonshaw, 40, and his fiancee, Turk, along with a few volunteers will move the animals from an 81-acre site in Fort Pierce — bagging up poisonous snakes and storing alligators in large five-gallon totes.
The snakes and larger reptiles will be fed before they are stored and can survive on water for about two weeks, Gonshaw said.
But, the frogs, bearded dragons, and iguanas will likely feast on salads and fruits — and need to be fed more often.
With two dogs, two cats — in addition to the reptiles — Gonshaw and Turk are more worried about their home being damaged by the animals than Hurricane Frances.
"They're going to destroy the house," Gonshaw said.
"We won't have to worry about the hurricane doing it," Turk added.
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