Meet Albany’s reptile wrangler and mother of dragons

Some people could not think of anything worse than being face to face with a cold-blooded reptile, but Albany’s own reptile wrangler thrives on it.

Eloise-Mae Varga is the Reptile Wrangler and Relocator, and with the warm weather bringing more snakes and lizards out of hiding, she has urged locals not to be scared.

Ms Varga said she wanted to save every creature she could, and she had a particular love for the somewhat unloved reptiles.

Ms Varga’s beloved pet western bearded dragon, Daenerys Drogon Targaryen Toothless Varga — Daenerys for short — has become the pin-up girl for her business.

She said she was happy to answer any calls involving a critter found where it was not welcome, and would move them to the bush, out of harm’s way.

“A lot of people are quite scared to see them and they shouldn’t be,” she said.

“They are such an important part of our ecosystem and they aren’t here to kill, they are here to survive.

“They need a lot of heat to warm up, whereas us mammals can warm ourselves up, so they come out during the summer to warm up and eat a lot before going into hibernation.”