Meet Victoria Storm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Storm.

Hi Victoria, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Where we started well that’s a long story, maybe too long for this… It could start when I was a child living in Louisiana, our house was like a reptile zoo already, with snakes, lizards, monitors, alligators you name it we had it. In short, my love for reptiles was passed down to me from my Father Norman and well Steve Irwin as well. What respectable reptile enthusiast didn’t watch Steve the Crocodile Hunter as a kid growing up? I think many of us that run rescues now and work with these animals were fans. However, as I grew up the standardized adulthood seemed to overshadow the passion I had as a child.

In reality, I lost who I was for a long time. As a young adult only 17 about to go on to 18 I found myself trapped in an abusive marriage with an alcoholic 15 years older than me. Young and Naive that’s what I was. I had convinced myself that if I was a good wife, he would change, that if I changed myself to what he wanted we could live happily ever after. So, I did for almost a decade I cut out everything that made me happy in an attempt to make him happy. And as the years passed, I slowly lost who I could have been only to become what he wanted, which in turn wasn’t enough to stop the physical and mental abuse. It wasn’t enough to stop the drinking it wasn’t enough to make him love me, only enough to make him use me with the help of some friends, I did manage to leave him. For good this time!

Thus, my long journey of finding myself. I followed a man for so long that I lost my identity. I need to find who I was, more than the drug store clerk or the merger-mistreated housewife. The road was long, full of twists and turns. Losing and finding new friends. learning to open up to people, being diagnosed with PTSD, and the plethora of Mental Health labels that come with it. Lots of therapy, one long roller coaster of ups and downs, and about 2 failed relationships later I had finally figured out that what I really needed was to go back to my roots, what I loved as a child.

Going back home to Louisiana was bittersweet. getting the phone call that my dad had passed away sometime in the night really broke me, we had just started to reconnect after several years of not talking. Heartbroken and devastated I made my way home, which I hadn’t truly done since we evacuated for Katrina. Ok… I know this is long but I promise all of this is how I got started. I swear. sometimes you have to climb a mountain to get to the peak. Well, let’s just say my mountain was astronomically high. Returning home to lay my dad to rest was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. saying goodbye to a real man in my life that always supported me no matter what.

Someone who still to this day I take after. Reconnecting with family and remembering where I came from was however the turning point for me. It was just the start. Remembering where I came from and whose badass daughter I was. I decided I didn’t want to be defined by my abuse or my abuser, I didn’t want to be known as the girl who had PTSD because of some man. I wanted to find my place in this world and make a mark. I wanted to do something that really meant something. I tried my hand at several things. which all were fun and amazing experiences but it just was the IT my soul was looking for. It wasn’t until I met a very amazing woman named Katelyn Garcia about 4 years ago. She was working for Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary. We had connected when their sanctuary was looking for items made locally to stock their gift shop with. At the time I was making bath bombs. I remember how excited I was to drop off these adorable alligator-shaped bath bombs to her. I was excited my bath bombs were being sold at this amazing Reptile Sanctuary in Phoenix. I was so honored. After learning about who they are and what they did and well sort of just showing up and doing random things with them. I was very much inspired to do what they were doing for my community up north in Gila County. There were no Official rescue or reptile services in the Gila County area. thus late 2019 rolled around and a long-time Facebook friend reaches out to me asks me to help her with her snake. No mind you the idea of starting a rescue/sanctuary was still rolling around in my head at this time.

Enter Thunder the ball python. He wasn’t eating for her. in fact, he hadn’t eaten the entire time she had him which was for almost 6 months I believe. He was healthy and not losing weight. Hunger strikes were normal for ball pythons but with her anxiety, she just couldn’t continue to worry about him. Which I completely understand having anxiety and panic attacks over your animals not eating and everyone around you telling you it’s fine. sometimes it just doesn’t put your mind at ease. Anyway, Thunder came home with me where he literally wouldn’t eat for almost an entire year after we got him. it was to the point where I contacted Katelyn and was like help, he needs to eat and she said if we couldn’t get him to eat, we could bring him to PHS and they would help me force-feed him. Thankfully it didn’t come to that. We received our second rescue, Pandora. the best way to explain it is Monkey See Monkey. We bought two rats to feed Pandora and attempted to Feed Thunder. Placing them in clear separate plastic show boxes. Pandora in no time at all took her meal. a few minutes later Thunder had struck and was taking his first meal in a year and a half. I was so proud of him. it was a big day! It was at that moment that I knew this is what I needed to do. To help these animals that society deems scary or monstrous. We had tons of Humane societies and rescues for the fluffy, cute adorable animals. but what about the massive amounts of pet store reptiles that were being abandoned by the dozens, due to impulsive purchases and lack of knowledge of their care?

Finding out that our reptile community in Payson and across Gila County was a lot larger than I expected and that there was a need for a Reptile Rescue/Sanctuary here. Whether it was helping my neighbor remove a rattlesnake from her yard, or taking in a large tortoise that outgrew the family I wanted to help. I wanted to be there to support my community in this need that not a lot of people realize is there. So thus the Birth of The Haus of Voodoo Reptile sanctuary. my first couple of years were hard, with paperwork, and organization, our first week officially open we had 11 reptiles surrendered to us/I should have as I was the only one running the Sanctuary at the time. This is a moment where I need to mention them again and I cannot tell the world how much I couldn’t have gotten through my first year without the amazing support of Katelyn and Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary. Her answering my questions help me through some of the government things it was just a lot. I made it through our first year because of them.

Which was just the start of this road. But thankfully our town of Payson is nothing short of amazing and whereas a lot of residents here didn’t understand what I was trying to do, a lot more showed up to support me. People started donating mice, and food. We were asked to show up at the Farmer Market with some of our friendly animals. The amount of support the community gave me once they realized what I was doing was nothing short of amazing. Next thing I know I had people helping me. Billy and Micah Webster became close friends. Soon after Ben and Julia Shakespeare volunteer with other wildlife organizations. Suddenly I wasn’t alone anymore. Our Sanctuary has grown into a family not just for people but the animals we take in currently 55 reptiles/exotic animals call our Sanctuary home. We have accomplished so many Community events, Educational meet and greets for schools, and well so much more is on the horizon.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
So as if my last Harry Potter-sized novel wasn’t enough let me give you some more to read. The road hasn’t been smooth and still isn’t. our biggest struggle is finding funding for a lot of our needs. Daily and weekly food, base expenses like rent, electricity, water, heat, rubbish removal, enclosures, bedding, water dishes, and larger habitats for the reptiles like the tortoises that need to be outside. Repairs, for example, last winter our electricity went out to do to the older breakers not being able to handle the amount of heat output the heaters needed to keep the reptiles warm, We ended up blowing the main breaker and if wasn’t for Sparky’s electric coming to our rescue we would have had to shut down and move the animals to a different location.

Funding for construction to help us expand so we can meet the sometimes-overwhelming number of animals we get in. Trying to build large ponds for the turtles so people don’t release them to the wild where they don’t belong. Medical bills have piled up for our special needs, injured, or sick surrenders. Whereas our community is amazing and we have a couple of local businesses, that donate yearly, or trade services to help us out. we can’t be more grateful for them. However, some days the struggle is real, and now the pressing issue of expanding and how we can even afford to is looming over us. A lot of our volunteers including myself help keep this Sanctuary running with our own money. There isn’t really funding and grants out there for a reptile rescue most of those go to the cute fluffy animals. Our biggest struggle is just trying to make ends meet sometimes.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Man, this is a tough one. I’ve done a lot; I’ve had a long journey. I was for a while a dog trainer specializing in service dog training. I’ve built houses and worked in construction, I practice creole voodoo, some things that have been passed down for generations. Getting my associate’s in herpetology was one of my favorite accomplishments so far. If I had to say something, I specialize in it would be a couple of things, first and foremost, as you can probably tell I love writing, and I’m great with working with more dangerous animals. I tend to love working with the creatures everyone sees as dangerous. I’m known for a few things. One is being a professional mermaid, even making it all the way to the missing mermaid USA competition to represent Louisiana.

I’m known for being the weird crazy voodoo girl from Louisiana that handles alligators and tried to teach the world about these amazing creatures. I think one of the biggest things that set me apart from others is my ability to survive and adapt. I’m a woman who lost everything in a hurricane, who survived an abusive marriage, who went through the loss of family and friends, I’ve been bullied, and turned down, and I’ve had friends and family turn their backs on me. Maybe I’m not that different from others but I know that no matter how much is thrown my way I choose to keep going. If society says it wrong, I say why. When someone tells me, I can’t I say watch me. Be a mermaid, be a cosplayer, dress in rockabilly, do rituals in the woods, go dance in the rain. Be who you want to be because life and too short and uncertain to do anything else.

Any big plans?
My future plan is to a facility for The Haus of Voodoo Reptile Sanctuary, a place in the heart of Payson where our community can come for tours, and visit not just our rescues but unique reptiles from around the world. I a place where we can offer classes, camp programs, host community events, and so much more.

A facility that can give our town a little more variety and maybe we can help teach some people about these magnificent animals we share our world with. I a place where our reptiles can grow and prosper.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hausofvoodoosanctuary.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hovreptilesanctuary/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehausofvoodoo
• Other: https://gofund.me/fff7c928

Image Credits
CF Photography and Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary