Animal Welfare Charity Launches Attack on Pet Shops

Published on October 24, 2007 by Ryan O'Meara   ·   No Comments

Pet Shops Could Provide More Written Information, Claim RSPCA

Pet shops could offer more free information on ‘unusual’ pets such as lizards and snakes to help owners look after them properly, say the RSPCA during their first national Pet Adoption Week.

With new figures showing that a majority of pet shops don’t offer free written information on the non-domestic animals they sell, the charity is asking the public to think carefully before taking on the responsibility of a pet, and for pet shops to offer them more help.

RSPCA scientist Dr Ros Clubb said:  “The RSPCA is currently trying to re-home 9,000 animals. Many of these would have come to us because their previous owners didn’t realise exactly what they were taking on or know how to look after them properly. The responsibility lies with the owner to look after their pet, but it would help if pet shops offered more information so that they knew what this was going to entail.”

In a snapshot survey of pet shops in England and Wales, published this week as part of a ground-breaking RSPCA report, the charity reveals that:

· An estimated 31,000 mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians were on sale at the time of the survey in pet shops including small numbers of primates, sugar gliders, caimans and snakes1
· A further estimated 167,000 fish and 9,000 invertebrates were also on sale
· Around half (55%) of shops provided care information on signs next to the surveyed animals on sale
· 20% of pet shops surveyed offered free care sheets to take away on the sample of animals surveyed; if the large chain Pets at Home is removed from these figures, the number is reduced to 5%
· Only a quarter of pet shops surveyed provided information, including on signs, on the adult size of the sample of animals surveyed, and only a third indicated the lifespan.

The situation could get worse as recently 33 new animals – including racoons, emus, sloths and squirrel monkeys – were taken off the list of animals for which licences are needed, under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

Dr Clubb said there had been an increase in the number of ‘unusual’ animals being kept as pets, most of which have special needs to ensure they are looked after properly.

“Providing a home to an animal carries a huge responsibility and many non-domestic animals have very particular needs when it comes to diet, temperature, humidity and space required. Caimans – small alligators – for instance, can grow up to three meters long, while tortoises can live for 50 years or more,” she said.

“We were surprised and disappointed by this lack of written information given by pet shops,” she adds. “This is a concern because although the responsibility to look after the animal lies with the pet owner, this is an important way in which they could be given the information they need to fully think through what they’re taking on. We have also done a survey of vets in the past who look after non-domestic animals and many said that a lack of knowledge on the part of the pet owner is the biggest problem in animals that end up coming to their attention.”

The Welfare State: Measuring Animal Welfare in the UK 2006 is the RSPCA’s unique and groundbreaking snapshot of animal welfare data. It is designed to inform governments, companies and individuals of the realities of what is happening to animals now – and what may happen in the future.

Each of 35 ‘indicators’ in the report measure a year-on-year change, and measure whether things have improved, got worse, or not changed – using a system of green, red and amber traffic lights. In 2006, there are six green lights, two red and 16 amber. There are also 11 ‘grey’ lights, which show that at present there is insufficient or no data available to accurately measure the indicator – but where the RSPCA believes there should be.

RSPCA Head of External Affairs David Bowles said: “In many ways it has been a good year for animal welfare, particularly with the coming of the Animal Welfare Act. But these figures show that there is a lot of work still to be done.

“There is a need to gather an accurate picture of what is happening to the millions of animals in the UK as it is only then that problems can be identified and practical solutions developed and implemented.”

Following from the report, the RSPCA has described what it calls an ‘animal footprint’:

David Bowles says: “Whereas our carbon footprint measures everything from the flights we take to the light bulbs we use, our animal footprint measures the choices we make when buying food or cosmetics, or the way we treat our pets.

“Companies and governments also have a huge animal footprint, so hopefully this report will help inform people’s decisions so we can all make a difference to animal welfare, both now and in the future.”

For more information, to test your animal footprint or to read the report, see www.animalwelfarefootprint.com.

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Tags:  Animal Welfare