FIVE ELVES OF INTEREST
The
ANIMAL RESCUER
BY CAMILLE S. YATES
When Gary Brady wakes up in
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the morning, everything is a
priority. “I sit and have my
coffee, and I label the priorities
A, B and C,” says Brady. “By the time
I get out to see the animals, I’m up to G.
Either something has broken, or an animal
has a special need.”
For the past 18 years, Brady has owned
and operated an animal rescue sanctuary
called Critter Haven in western Vero
Beach. The retired art instructor and hot air
balloonist first got involved with animals
after his now deceased wife asked for a
pet. “I gave her a hermit crab because I
didn’t want to get too attached,” he says.
Shortly after, the animal menagerie grew.
“Two finches, who were romantically
inclined, became a bunch of finches,” says
Brady. The couple added ferrets and before
they knew it, their house was overrun.
The Bradys started their dream to save
animals on a small scale, but the vision
blossomed into a state-of-the-art, 10-acre
facility. They designed and built a home
for themselves and their growing population
of animals to create what is now
Critter Haven. Brady has used his personal
funds to build the sanctuary, which
houses more than 200 animals. He custom
built six buildings for different species.
“We are the last stop for these animals,”
says Brady. “These animals are here for
life. We don’t breed or sell. We are not a
zoo. We are a sanctuary.”
Critter Haven is the only rescue sanctuary
in the four-county area that takes in
exotic animals. The facility is licensed,
regulated and inspected by the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Brady explains that people like the
allure of owning an exotic animal like a
lemur, monitor lizard, python snake or
hybrid wolf. “The big problem is that
people get bored with them or can’t
housebreak them, so they end up here,”
explains Brady.
The State of Florida regulates the
private possession of 64 different exotic
animals. “A lot of people own regulated
animals but they don’t have permits. If
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Gary Brady infuses his love of art
throughout Critter Haven Sanctuary.
He stands next to a memorial that he
designed in honor of his deceased wife.
ED DRONDOSKI PHOTOS
A SEASON OF CELEBRATION