RSPCA's letter campaign....WE NEED YOU!!..

SiUK · #1 (**permalink**) 25-04-2007, 09:21 PM

I know this has been covered alot in numerous threads but there is alot of rumors and such, but today I have been doing some research on the matter and this is what I have found out I dont know if its been said already but if it has its probably in the middle of some hectic threads.

I have read that since the early 90's the RSPCA have been campaigning for a ban on reptile keeping with on average 100 anti reptile press releases a year. So its not a new thing.

In 2003 they released there most recent policy which is just a revised version of older policies, this the outline.

In the current RSPCA policy document Policies on animal welfare (revised 2003) it is stated that:-
"Exotic animals such as snakes, lizards and terrapins often carry disease, are difficult to look after and are rarely provided with adequate facilities. Such animals are unsuitable as companion animals"

I have seen a few people asking what they can do to help so heres a couple of things.

The Federation of British Herpetologists

If you go onto the Federation of British herpetologists website, which Ratboy has mentioned about supporting in another thread, they tell you up to date info, on all the current goings on, also for £10 you can join for a year and they send newsletters and things that you can do, which is good to bump their numbers up and for a tenner its not alot to support the hobby.

Also there is a link to a faxyourMP.com link it isnt working for me so I dont know if thats just for me or if its the same for everyone, but it wouldnt take long to draft out a letter to send and the more people that send them the more good its doing.

Another thing is, im sure nearly all of you have done it already but sign the petition on their site which is the actual one on the parliament site.

You may think I have changed my views a bit in just one afternoon lol, but the more I read into it the more it worries me and plus it doesnt take alot to do a couple of simple things.

I dont know the rules on posting links to other forums on here but this one seems quite relevant just because of updates and finding out things to do, also again the more members the better and it would be good to get their numbers up.

:: Index

wohic · #2 (**permalink**) 25-04-2007, 10:23 PM

good on ya si, for taking what has been said on board.
a great and informative post........ gonna give you rep and I dont really give rep cos its 'not my thing!'

ratboy · #3 (**permalink**) 26-04-2007, 09:30 AM

I've added some rep for that too....

Si, if you have been on the FBH site you probably already know, but Chris Newman who has been posting on the important thread above is the chairman of the FBH and is usually very happy to put anyone straight about the dangers facing this hobby at this point in time.

Steve

Athravan · #4 (**permalink**) 26-04-2007, 10:58 AM

This is what I have sent my local MPs... I know some people just don't know what to say, this is my words, and my opinion, and what I consider to be a little information coming honestly.. it's not full of facts, figures, demands or threats... but I thought some people might be interested in what I wrote, considering no one is formulating a letter/template for others to read.. if anyone wants to use any of what i've written please feel free

Quote:

It has come to my attention that there are some campaigns and policies that are being changed and written up by the RSPCA in regards to the keeping of reptiles as pets.

I am a lifelong reptile owner, keeper, and it is also my business. I am concerned about some of the information being put out by the RSPCA and other organisations which suggest that new policies may be implemented to attempt to limit, or ban completely the keeping of reptiles as pets.

The revised 2003 edition of the RSPCA policy document states

"Exotic animals such as snakes, lizards and terrapins often carry disease, are difficult to look after and are rarely provided with adequate facilities. Such animals are unsuitable as companion animals"

You may or may not be experienced with reptiles but please excuse me if I assume you may not be, and provide some factual information to you;

1. Reptiles can carry Salmonella. So can almost every other species of animal. There are far more disease-carrying animals such as birds, who can carry the fatal psittacosis. Basic common sense hygiene such as washing hands after handling eliminates the chance of salmonella.

2. Reptiles can bite - yes. So can a dog. A reptiles bite often does not break the skin, rarely leaves any marks, and very rarely needs a doctors attention. Compare this to some of the recent attacks from dogs. The majority of reptiles will never cause harm to their owner, unless grossly mistreated. The same of which can be said of any animal.

3. Reptiles are not difficult to look after. Reptiles are in fact, very simple to look after. They have basic needs - heating, lighting, humidity, space and food. Much research has been done over the last decades ensuring that the equipment on the market supplies as close to a natural environment as possible. There may be cases of ignorance or neglect on the part of reptiles, leading to inadequate care and poor health. Can the same not be said of the several million cats and dogs rehomed by the RSPCA every year? If more funding were available for the education of the general public into exotic animals then the cases of ignorance could be eliminated.

4. Companion animals - well, this is not something that is well defined. Consider how good a companion animal a hamster or a rabbit is, and we should see that this is not a requirement for allowing the animal as a pet! Reptiles respond to people, they respond to food, needs, other members of their species, and to their human owners. They can be tamed, and can come to respond differently to people. It has been proved that a nervous reptile can be picked up by their owner, but will shy away from a stranger - this is evidence that reptiles can become associated with certain people, and come to trust them, or learn that they mean no harm.

If reptiles are to be considered too exotic and specialised to be allowed to be kept in the country; I want to ask - are the same policies likely to be added for birds? Parrots, parakeets, even smaller birds like budgies and finches, they have needs, many of the larger birds are certainly very exotic! There are people who keep exotic hedgehogs, squirrels, and more, as pets - yet it is reptiles that are being targetted negatively.
The RSPCA do not seem to be considering the fact that there are currently over 5 million homes in the UK containing a reptile as a pet.

If reptiles were to be banned, who would have to pay for the storage and presumabley eventual euthanasia of so many "illegal" animals, and how many votes would be lost by those 5 million homes who have had their beloved pets taken from them or by the tax payers having to support such a needless expense.

The reptile industry is a multi million pound industry. Whilst much of the equipment is manufactured on mainland Europe, there are many people who's living relies on reptiles (including myself) in the UK. From importers, to wholesalers, through shops, traders, private breeders, it is a large industry that is only increasing. There are currently almost 1000 reptile specialist shops in the UK. Most major cities now have veterinary surgeons who specialise in reptiles and exotics, some surgeries now only deal with reptiles, and these will also be put out of business. Across the country, thousands of experienced, qualified people will be made unemployed, their years of training and experience nullified.

If you are interested in learning more from someone who is most experienced with the changing policies and future campaigns of the RSPCA and Animal Welfare organisations campaigning against reptile keeping, please consider contacting the Federation of British Herpetologists The Federation of British Herpetologists and learning more about our plight.

As you can see, this is an area that concerns me deeply - I love my pets, my dogs, my birds and my reptiles equally, and the thought of them coming to harm because of what must be no more than ignorance on the part of animal welfare campaigners is deeply upsetting to me. I would greatly appreciate any feedback or opinion you have on the matter.

I appreciate your time,

Took me 15-20 minutes to write and I think 15-20 minutes out of the day to write a letter instead of the 2 mins to sign a petition is well worth it, so consider doing it

charliet · #5 (**permalink**) 26-04-2007, 11:42 AM

Athravan,

Thats great, I have just copied and edited some of your letter, put my name to it and sent it to my local MP. Really helpful cause I have exams coming up and dont have the time to draft a letter myself. Thanks!

Website to find and write to your MP:

WriteToThem.com - Email or fax your Councillor, MP, MEP, MSP or Welsh, NI, London Assembly Member for free

SiUK · #6 (**permalink**) 26-04-2007, 12:15 PM

thanks guys, I think this thread could be useful for facts and links about it instead of just speculation, where people can check up on whats really going on and post their template letters and such, im going to sit down and write a letter today, yours is good Athravan I think im going to use your facts about salmanella and psittacosis, if even half the people on here that care about reptiles were to write letters that would be a start.

SiUK · #7 (**permalink**) 26-04-2007, 12:16 PM

Also I emailed FOCAS about the matter and they replied with this email, very quickly.

Simon,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regards the issue of
banning reptiles. Under the Animal Welfare Act there is unlikely to
be a complete ban on the keeping of reptiles. However, it most
certainly could have a very significant impact on keepers. For
example the RSPCA demand that a snake must be able to lay outstretched
and not touch either end of the vivarium, this would be extremely
damaging as probably 99% of people that keep snakes, the snake is
longer than the vivarium.

However, there is a provision within the Act which can ban the keeping
of animals that the government thinks are not suitable for private
keepers, so there is the potential for reptiles to be banned under
this Act.

There are also other Act which could also ban or severely restrict
keeping. For example recently it was proposed that certain reptiles
species should be prohibited from private ownership under article 8.2
of CITES, this has been defeated at the moment. Additionally the UK
government is proposing to implement the EU Habitats Directive which
would have very serious implications for the keeping of European
species of reptiles and amphibians, in effect it could ban them.

There is also the Dangerous Wild Animals Act which is currently being
reviewed, this could seriously restrict the keeping of large snakes,
over 9 feet, if they are added to the schedule. There is also a
review of the Non-native Species Policy, there are proposals under
this to prohibit the keeping/trade of certain reptiles and amphibians.
This could ultimately prohibit the keeping of any species which could
survive in the UK in a wild state - corn snakes for example!

While clearly there is some scaremongering, it is not without some
foundation. It is unlikely that we will see a complete ban on the
keeping of reptiles in the foreseeable future, but it is not within
the bounds of impossibility. What we will see the chipping away at the
peripheries, bans on certain species. Once we have a ban on the
ownership of a single species, this will be a slippery slop leading to
the banning of more and more species in the future.

I hope this has been of some help, please do not hesitate to contact
me if you require any further information.

Regards,
Chris Newman

eeji · #8 (**permalink**) 26-04-2007, 01:15 PM

good idea! before the slippery slope becomes too steep to stand on we should all write to our MP and make them aware of this, and also what their stand is on the issue.
I've contacted my MP (Andy Burnham) using Athravans letter as a template because i'm rubbish at writing stuff like that, and await his reply.

nicky · #9 (**permalink**) 26-04-2007, 01:29 PM

great letter athraven, whole thing just makes me so angry, as been said yes there are crap keepers out there but why should the good ones suffer, same as everything else but their only targeting us, what gets me the most is my house if full of reps i rehomed for the rspca and i have mentioned on here before that all caresheets given by them are completely wrong....anyway think i will join you in your letter campaign..

skimpy · #10 (**permalink**) 26-04-2007, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Athravan

This is what I have sent my local MPs... I know some people just don't know what to say, this is my words, and my opinion, and what I consider to be a little information coming honestly.. it's not full of facts, figures, demands or threats... but I thought some people might be interested in what I wrote, considering no one is formulating a letter/template for others to read.. if anyone wants to use any of what i've written please feel free

Took me 15-20 minutes to write and I think 15-20 minutes out of the day to write a letter instead of the 2 mins to sign a petition is well worth it, so consider doing it

A thousand thank yous. I am gonna rep you, because this is what was badle needed so that others can contribute in some way. i tried the other day to do a letter, but couldnt get to grips with it.

Thanks again

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