Animal Ambassadors

Meet our Animal Ambassadors! Invaluable natural resources that help children appreciate the great diversity of life around us. Our hope is that with every exciting encounter, kids and adults alike will work even harder to save, preserve and maintain our home and all its inhabitants.  It's an experience no one ever forgets!

Check out some of our Animal Ambassadors in the gallery.  Click on an image for more information about our friends!

Are Exotic Reptiles & Amphibians Good Pets?

Tree Frog Treks does not promote the keeping of exotic reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates in the home, as many of these animals are inappropriate house pets.  In addition to their complicated environmental and nutritional needs, many reptiles live for 25 years or more!  Some, like Abeni our African Sulcata Tortoise, can live for over 100 years and may grow to be over 100 pounds!  We employ a full-time Animal Care Director to meet our Ambassadors' many needs, and it's a demanding job.

Our rescued animals come to us from a variety of sources, such as: 

  • Individuals or families

  • California Department of Fish and Game

  • Animal rescue organizations

  • Escaped or abandoned pets in our own back yards!

We have given a home to hundreds of rescued Animal Ambassadors over the years, many of whom came to us from individuals who find that they no longer have the time or resources to care for them.  Our Ambassadors are lucky - unlucky pets often are released into an unfamiliar and unnatural environment where they are unable to fend for themselves.

Animal Care & Adoption Questions

If you are looking to adopt an animal, see our Adoptions page.

If you have a question about our Animal Ambassadors or if you have an animal that needs a new home, please email our Animal Care Director, Sam Gelmis, at sam@treefrogtreks.com or call 415-876- FROG (3764).

Julie the Burmese Python...

… was one of the founders of Tree Frog Treks and a super star Animal Ambassador in her own right. She was sweet, bold and strong.

Recently I ran into a past colleague in SF- after I told her the sad news she recalled a day in 2002 when she was a new teacher subbing at Cathedral school for the boys and I brought Julie in for a visit. All the children laid down on the rug and Julie gave them her famous “Sierra Nevada Snake Massage”. Julie must have met 10’s of thousands of children over her 21 years as acting Animal Ambassador chair (a position she shared with Buddy the green Iguana before Buddy passed away 10 years ago).

Julie laid eggs once while she was with us at our 2112 Hayes street Flag ship location. Although she was close friends with Tarot the Burmese Python the eggs were not fertilized, but his presence may have encouraged her to lay.

Nearly everyone I meet that has experienced the wonders of Tree Frog Treks says “Oh yeah I remember this big snake crawling over me!” And for most of them it was Julie. Tarot was more of a home body, but he also helped spread the joy of snake encounters with Julie. He passed away over 10 years ago. Later Blondie and then Chiquita joined her ranks.

Julie is dearly missed. She did a tremendous service - spreading positive snake vibes from Cupertino to San Francisco; Shingle Springs to Truckee.

We love you Julie!

We are proud to announce the “Julie’s Fund”- A special fund dedicated to visiting Pre-k and Elementary school aged children with rescued reptiles and amphibians in their classrooms.

If you’d like to donate, click here:

Julie's Fund


It was a pleasure, a privilege and extraordinary to teach with you!

Thank you for helping us to build Tree Frog Treks into what it is today. Long live Julie!

With love,

~Mr. Science and TFT Team