DURHAM, N.C. -- A Durham reptile and exotic pet rescue says it’s busier than ever before, but for all the wrong reasons.

Staff at BeWild say pet surrenders, and sadly even pet throw-aways, are up significantly due to the pandemic.

“We’ve had lots of people who surrender because they can't afford the medical bills for the animal because they lose their jobs," Nicole D'Avignon, Co-director of BeWild says.

The organization has taken in 46 surrenders so far this year, just 11 less than all of last year.

Some pet owners though, are just throwing their exotic pets away.

A bearded dragon named Coriander was found in a dumpster last week, making him the fifth bearded dragon the organization has taken in that’s been found outside in just the past few months.

“It was sad that he was thrown away but at the very least, he's gonna make it, and he's healthy, and that's always a good sign for us. A lot of our animals come in with very serious medical conditions that can’t be treated, can’t recover like him," D'Avignon says.

She says it's one of the worst cases of pet abuse she's recently seen.

“It was him in a dumpster, his entire cage was in a dumpster," D'Avignon says. "It was filled with feces, just really dirty, wasn’t really a clean environment.”

BeWild is accepting donations to help animals like Coriander. 

You can visit BeWild's website, by clicking here.