Axolotl and Reptile Rescue in Evesham is currently caring for around 250 animals and is ‘only taking in emergency cases’ after a busy start to 2025.
Since the start of the new year the centre has been asked to take care of more than 50 animals including snakes, geckos and turtles from people across the UK.
The centre, which was named the best animal rescue in the UK at the Animal Star Awards in 2024, believes the additional pressure has come from other centres across the UK having to close due to the cost of living crisis.
To make things worse, Facebook, which the centre uses to interact with its followers and customers ‘have introduced new regulations regarding animals’ making life ‘trickier’ for the centre.
Axolotl and Reptile Rescue has now released a new website specifically for animal adoptions which they are hoping will ‘simplify the whole process’.
The centre, which has been running for the last nine years, is run by Gareth Costellow and his wife Tara.
Mr Costellow said: “We serve the whole of the UK but new regulations regarding animals on Facebook have made it trickier.
“We now have a new website up and running just for animals that need adopting which will hopefully simplify the whole process.
“We are one hundred per cent feeling the strain.
“So for this year so far we have been asked to care for 50 animals in only a few days.
“Whilst we do have a lot of volunteers who do a lot of fundraising, the more animals we take in, the more vet bills we get, the more food, the more heating and so on.
“It’s overwhelming but we are continuing to grow and becoming people’s first choice and it feels good that people trust us.
“At the moment we have around 250 animals and we are nearing capacity so we are only really taking in emergency cases.”
The centre, which helps train students and vets, takes animals off the RSPCA and the Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre in Beckford, near Evesham.
The pair have helped more than 9,000 animals since founding the centre almost a decade ago.