At 75, Gary Brady has overseen Critter Haven’s operations for two decades. With no prior training in animal care but through extensive research, he has created menus for every animal on the property, including these emus.
Gary Brady looks like a venerable Indiana Jones about to go on safari. His button-down tan shirt with deep front pockets is tucked into stonewashed jeans held up with a leather belt. But instead of cargo boots, penny loafers complete his outfit. Long gray hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and bushy eyebrows frame prescription glasses. As he steps outside, he brings his trusty pipe to his lips.
He is going on a safari of sorts, starting up his golf cart – labeled “My Toy” on the dash – gripping the wheel with his right hand and holding the pipe in his left. He’s also making a case for 200 creatures from all over the world that otherwise have no home. He’s about to introduce an animal sanctuary in western Vero Beach called “Critter Haven” where, for the present, goats raised as Great Danes, a 400-pound boar and three hybrid wolves live in secret harmony.
Gary has quietly used two savings accounts to fund Critter Haven’s operations, but without donations it’s possible this wild little world won’t last. “I don’t even want to think about that,” says Gary, who at 75 has overseen the nonprofit for two decades.
Twenty years ago, when Gary and his wife, Beverly, moved to Vero Beach, animals weren’t really on their mind. “I got a hermit crab and she got some finches. The finches were very romantic, so we got lots of finches,” he explains. “Then we got ferrets and parrots and tortoises and snakes; and it was becoming kind of a menagerie. You’d come home at night, sit at the table and say, ‘Do you have any idea what just ran by?’”
True Tails is a series written by Amy Robinson for Vero Beach’s dog lovers. Ask Amy about your dog’s behavior by clicking below.
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