United States Association of Reptile Keepers

The United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization based in Grandy, North Carolina. USARK describes itself as "a science, education and conservation based advocacy (organization) for the responsible private ownership of, and trade in reptiles."

Founding

USARK was founded in 2008 to protect reptile keepers and breeders from an increasingly restrictive regulatory environment. The founding principle was Andrew Wyatt, formerly the founder and president of the North Carolina Association of Reptile Keepers (NCARK). The co-founders of USARK included Mack Robinette, Lou Sangermano, Ralph Davis, Doug Price, Sherry Tregembo, Jeff Ronnie, Warren Booth, Shawn Heflick, Brian Sharp, and Dan and Colette Sutherland. This group would become the USARK Board of Directors electing Wyatt as president and CEO in April 2008.

As president and CEO of USARK, Wyatt was a charismatic and controversial figure that was interviewed by National Public Radio (NPR), The New York Times and Playboy Magazine. He is credited with pioneering advocacy for "herpetoculture," the captive propagation of high quality reptiles and amphibians, and testified as an expert witness before the United States Congress in 2010 and 2012. His work at USARK also included development of a large grassroots component known as the “Reptile Nation.” Today it is estimated that the reptile industry generates roughly $1.2 billion in annual revenues. After serving as the leader of the "Reptile Nation" for five years Wyatt resigned from USARK in 2013 because of "philosophical differences" with the Board of Directors.