A FORMER employee of the Tropiquaria zoo, near Watchet, has been killed in a late-night hit and run in Canada, where he he had been living for many years.

Police in British Columbia were this week still searching for the driver who failed to stop after hitting Marc Ellis on a rural road in a suburb of Vancouver.

Marc, aged 38, was originally from South Africa, but the family moved to Somerset in 2000 when he was a teenager, settling in Wellington.

He studied working with animals at Cannington College before starting work at Tropiquaria and then left to live with a friend in Spain for a few years before moving to Canada to be with his father Wayne Ellis about 12 years ago.

Marc and his partner Amanda Iana Wegerek ran a reptile business Slithers and Critters which specialises in breeding snakes, tarantulas, and geckos.

He was also heavily involved in working with protection dogs and was a member of the German Shepherd Schutzhund Club of Canada.

Marc was killed in the early hours of December 11 after stopping to try to rescue a stray dog and being struck by a Dodge Ram pick-up truck driving on the wrong side of the road.

A second vehicle then struck Marc, whose driver stopped and called the emergency services, but he died of his injuries at the scene.

Police found the damaged pick-up truck crashed a short distance away with the driver having apparently fled the scene.

Marc’s own truck was parked at the side of the road where he died.

An online fund-raising effort quickly collected more than £12,500 to fly Marc’s mother Lesley Ellis from Somerset to Vancouver to be with the family and arrange his funeral and take part in a celebration of his life.

Money left over from the appeal went to Amanda to help look after the animals he left behind.

Marc’s sister Jennifer Wheeler said her mother was ‘distraught’ and ‘just broke down in tears’.

Jennifer said: “She was extremely upset. We have quite a close friend who lives down the road and I ran to get her to be with mum.”

She said Marc had always been enthusiastic about reptiles and from a young age he kept lizards, snakes, and spiders.

A British Columbia Reptile Club spokesman said: “Those who knew and loved Marc describe him as compassionate, brilliant, and generous without fault.

“He cared so deeply for all animals and was a great teacher.

“Truly someone to look up to and admire.

“His reptiles, dogs, and family were his world and this is evident by his involvement in both the local herpetoculture hobby, as well as the seemingly endless time and effort spent working dogs.

“We will so deeply miss seeing his contagious smile and laugh at shows.”

Among tributes posted online, Kylee Evanuk said: “Marc was a very special person and had an absolute heart of gold.

“He was so kind and touched the lives of so many people.

“This is an absolute tragedy and my heart goes out to all those suffering from this incomprehensible loss.”

The local police department’s major crime unit had taken over the investigation into Mr Ellis’s death and has appealed for witnesses and dashcam footage from those who may have been travelling nearby.