Brandon Sun By: Kyle Darbyson Save to Read Later
DOUGLAS The owners of the Westman Reptile Gardens are still reeling from a major fire on Wednesday night that resulted in the destruction of several buildings and the death of hundreds of rodents.
Advertisement
Members of the CFB Shilo Fire Department battle a major fire that engulfed the Westman Reptile Gardens early Wednesday evening. Although the full extent of the damage is not known at this time, Westman firefighters, including members of Brandon Fire & Emergency Services, seemed to have the blaze under control when the Sun left the scene around 8:20 p.m. Kyle Darbyson/The Brandon Sun)
Brandon Sun By: Kyle Darbyson Save to Read Later
Members of the CFB Shilo Fire Department combat a major fire at the Westman Reptile Gardens on Wednesday evening. The building is located in the community of Douglas, just north of CFB Shilo. (Kyle Darbyson/The Brandon Sun)
DOUGLAS The owners of the Westman Reptile Gardens are still reeling from a major fire on Wednesday night that resulted in the destruction of several buildings and the death of hundreds of rodents.
Advertisement
DOUGLAS The owners of the Westman Reptile Gardens are still reeling from a major fire on Wednesday night that resulted in the destruction of several buildings and the death of hundreds of rodents.
Brandon Sun By: Tyler Clarke
There has been no lack of business owners struggling to pay their bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There has been no lack of business owners struggling to pay their bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Candi and Dave Shelvey, however, keeping the hydro on is a life or death matter for an expansive collection of cold-blooded reptiles.
Thankfully, there’s no indication of them giving up their passion project any time soon.
Their Westman Reptile Gardens, located near Shilo, contains all manner of exotic reptile, from bearded dragons to crocodiles.
The gardens’ origins date back to Dave’s first reptile as a child, a leopard gecko named Leonard he bought as a kid using money he earned delivering newspapers, which sparked a lifelong interest in various creatures.