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Corn snake

The 57 year old receives calls from West Midlands police if a member of the public reports a stray snake or reptile on the loose.

After catching the creature he'll bring it back to his 'snake house' in the garden, a reptile centre that's held as many as 500 stray animals at any one time!

"The RSPCA generally won't touch reptiles," he says. "I'll get a call from the police to either recover an animal from the wild, rescue one that's been left in an abandoned house or go out with the Drug Squad.

"Once I went out with the Drug Squad because they'd found a tank that was full of drugs. However, a large python had been left in the tank that held the container. Not everyone will put their hands in!"

Leopard gecko

Snake bug

Brian first got the 'snake bug' nearly 20 years ago when he was walking the beat as a West Midlands' policeman.

Giving in to his daughter's requests for a pet snake, it was Brian himself who became fascinated by the creatures. He purchased more over time and now what started as a hobby has turned into a full time job.

As well as rescuing and re-homing, Brian also rehabs injured or malnourished reptiles and acts as an organiser for the West Midlands' leg of the IHS – the International Herpetological Society.

He also finds the time to tour local schools, giving talks on everything from snakes to lizards who he says have become increasingly popular to have as pets over the last 20 years.

Orange rat snake

Unfortunately, according to Brian, more and more 'exotic' reptiles are also turning up in the British countryside.

Why?

"There are two curses," he says. "Those Jurassic Park films (from the '90s) meant that everybody wanted an iguana because they look like dinosaurs. They didn't realise that they can grow up to 4.5 feet and have very sharp feet and claws.

"The second curse was that Ninja Turtle phase. Again, everyone went out and bought turtles and terrapins thinking people thought they'd stay small enough to fit in gold fish bowls. Well they don't! Believe me, most fresh water lakes and in the UK now contain turtles or terrapins.

"The sad fact is that people simply 'get rid' of these animals once they're either bored of them or the creature gets too big to manage."

Reticulated python

The main animals that Brian deals with are snakes. Three species can be found naturally in the wild in the UK - the adder, the grass snake and the smooth snake. However, Brian says that the sightings of 'foreign' varieties are on the rise:

"Exotic species that have escaped are getting used to the climate, like corn snakes and rat snakes. The biggest call-out I ever had was to an an old abandoned barn. There was a seven foot long boa in there. I had to take a friend of mine along to deal with that thing!"

Re-homing

If you want to give a home to a reptile Brian is looking after though, he won't just hand it over.

Bearded dragon

"The first thing I'd make sure of is that you'd done your research," he says. "There's now a wealth of books and websites on reptile care. I'd need to be sure that you knew what you'd be taking on.

"The second thing would be the tanks or environment you'd be keeping the animal in. I'd need to be completely satisfied that the conditions were right."

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