RSPCA warns rise of 'fad pets' inspired by popular films is leading to widespread neglect of exotic animals
The warning comes as the government announces the online sale of dangerous exotic pets like snakes, lizards and meerkats is to be regulated for the first time
By Laura Hughes, Political Correspondent, December 25, 2015, Telegraph.co.uk
The rise of "fad pets" and impulse purchasing following the release of popular films is leading to the widespread neglect of exotic animals, the RSPCA have warned in the run up to Christmas.
When Harry Potter hit screens in the early 2000s,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...ens-for-owls-dumped-by-Harry-Potter-fans.html
The animal charity also saw a 191 per cent rise in the number of calls about meerkats, after the Compare the Meerkat advert was launched in 2009.
After the release of Finding Nemo in 2003, they said pet shops and breeders reported a 60 per cent rise in sales of clown fish, despite the message of the film's focus on how Nemo resisted being captured and kept in a tank.
The warning comes as the government announces the online sale of dangerous exotic pets like snakes, lizards and meerkats is to be regulated for the first time.
Current laws predate the large-scale sale of animals over the internet and there are
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8008811/The-wild-world-of-exotic-pets.html
A report compiled by the Blue Cross pet charity and the Born Free Foundation, discovered 25,000 adverts offering more than 120 types of exotic animal for sale.
They uncovered a number of adverts not properly identifying the species for sale, or whether the animals being sold would make appropriate pets.
Of particular concern was an advert for "18 royal pythons in need of a quick sale" and another for a boa constrictor "with a history of aggression."
The report found four examples of adverts for wild cats that need certificates under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act , including an ocelot, a serval, a caracal and a leopard cat.
Blue Cross say none of these adverts stated that a certificate was needed or would be provided and that if any of these animals escaped they could cause serious damage to other wildlife and pets.
The charity said they were also concerned by an advert for a four and a half foot long Nile monitor lizard, which they saw was being kept in a six foot by three foot tank.
Becky Thwaites, Blue Cross Public Affairs Manager, said: “Buying an exotic pet online is unfortunately far too easy – just a quick online search will bring up hundreds of results for all almost any kind of animal you can think of.
"The problem is that anyone can sell exotic pets online with no checks or restrictions in place, as there would be for those selling animals from a pet shop, which means online sellers aren’t subject to any kind of checks regarding the welfare of the pets they are selling.”
George Eustice, an Environment Minister, has said that the Government's current review into all animal licensing will include a reassessment of the Pet Animals Act 1951, "because it was designed in an era when the internet did not exist".
George Eustice has said moves giving parliament the power to veto ECJ were overdue Photo: REUTERS/Stephen Hird
The law is already clear in that anyone trading on the internet must have a pet shop licence whether or not they have a pet shop in the high street, but the minister said it was important to review online regulation "to make sure it is clear."
He added: “We are reviewing animal related licensed activities such as pet sales to address problems associated with the growing trend for internet sales that can contribute to impulse buying.”
Under new laws online pet sellers could be forced to legally register their trade, declare whether animals require a licence under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act and have their premises inspected by councils.
The warning comes as the government announces the online sale of dangerous exotic pets like snakes, lizards and meerkats is to be regulated for the first time
By Laura Hughes, Political Correspondent, December 25, 2015, Telegraph.co.uk
The rise of "fad pets" and impulse purchasing following the release of popular films is leading to the widespread neglect of exotic animals, the RSPCA have warned in the run up to Christmas.
When Harry Potter hit screens in the early 2000s,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...ens-for-owls-dumped-by-Harry-Potter-fans.html
The animal charity also saw a 191 per cent rise in the number of calls about meerkats, after the Compare the Meerkat advert was launched in 2009.
After the release of Finding Nemo in 2003, they said pet shops and breeders reported a 60 per cent rise in sales of clown fish, despite the message of the film's focus on how Nemo resisted being captured and kept in a tank.
The warning comes as the government announces the online sale of dangerous exotic pets like snakes, lizards and meerkats is to be regulated for the first time.
Current laws predate the large-scale sale of animals over the internet and there are
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8008811/The-wild-world-of-exotic-pets.html
A report compiled by the Blue Cross pet charity and the Born Free Foundation, discovered 25,000 adverts offering more than 120 types of exotic animal for sale.
They uncovered a number of adverts not properly identifying the species for sale, or whether the animals being sold would make appropriate pets.
Of particular concern was an advert for "18 royal pythons in need of a quick sale" and another for a boa constrictor "with a history of aggression."
The report found four examples of adverts for wild cats that need certificates under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act , including an ocelot, a serval, a caracal and a leopard cat.
Blue Cross say none of these adverts stated that a certificate was needed or would be provided and that if any of these animals escaped they could cause serious damage to other wildlife and pets.
The charity said they were also concerned by an advert for a four and a half foot long Nile monitor lizard, which they saw was being kept in a six foot by three foot tank.
Becky Thwaites, Blue Cross Public Affairs Manager, said: “Buying an exotic pet online is unfortunately far too easy – just a quick online search will bring up hundreds of results for all almost any kind of animal you can think of.
"The problem is that anyone can sell exotic pets online with no checks or restrictions in place, as there would be for those selling animals from a pet shop, which means online sellers aren’t subject to any kind of checks regarding the welfare of the pets they are selling.”
George Eustice, an Environment Minister, has said that the Government's current review into all animal licensing will include a reassessment of the Pet Animals Act 1951, "because it was designed in an era when the internet did not exist".
George Eustice has said moves giving parliament the power to veto ECJ were overdue Photo: REUTERS/Stephen Hird
The law is already clear in that anyone trading on the internet must have a pet shop licence whether or not they have a pet shop in the high street, but the minister said it was important to review online regulation "to make sure it is clear."
He added: “We are reviewing animal related licensed activities such as pet sales to address problems associated with the growing trend for internet sales that can contribute to impulse buying.”
Under new laws online pet sellers could be forced to legally register their trade, declare whether animals require a licence under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act and have their premises inspected by councils.
