The refuge receives no government funding, and with costs increasing daily, Vargas hopes to cover expenses by charging admission and making this family affair into a commercial venture and environmental education center.

It must be emphasized, however, that this is not a zoo, but a rehabilitation center. The main function of the refuge is to release the animals brought to it, after they have recovered from their mostly human-inflicted injuries and can again fend for themselves in the wild. Nevertheless, many of the animals you will see at the refuge sadly will remain there for the rest of their lives, no longer able to survive on their own.

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“[Vargas] has been receiving injured and mistreated reptiles and amphibians since he was 12 years old,” says Lidia Coto, the knowledgeable volunteer guide who gave The Tico Times an extremely interesting and entertaining tour of the refuge.

Vargas lectures at the National University School of Veterinary Medicine in Heredia, north of San José, and does private research projects for companies and the Environment Ministry, but his herpetology studies at the refuge are his passion. He says he manages to treat and release about 60 percent of the animals brought to him.