Cruel UK reptile market to close after campaign by World Animal Protection

A cruel UK wildlife market at Doncaster Racecourse will close in June 2022 after a two-year campaign by World Animal Protection and 75,000 people signing a petition highlighting severe animal welfare concerns including Ball pythons crammed in Tupperware and takeaway boxes.

As well as welfare concerns World Animal protection has also highlighted evidence of illegal trading showing numerous traders that appear to be unlawfully selling captive bred animals as part of commercial enterprises, despite claiming to be mere ‘hobby breeders’. 

In the UK it is illegal to sell animals as pets ‘in the course of a business’ from a market stall¹, or without a license². However, at the Doncaster reptile market it was found that large numbers of traders appeared to meet “business test” criteria, due to the high numbers and value of wild animals for sale, use of advertising and other evidence of business activity.

More than 100 traders were present at each event in September and November 2021, observed by investigators. The price of individual wild animals - such as Ball pythons and Leopard geckos - varied from tens to thousands of pounds, and each stall had an average of 26 individual reptiles for sale with at least three stalls offering up to 100 reptiles for sale

Investigators found around a quarter (24%) of all stall owners were operating under a visible trader company name with 23% of traders even offering merchandise for sale, including T-shirts, hats, mugs and badges.

Charlotte Regan, Wildlife Campaigns Manager, World Animal Protection said:

“We’re delighted that this event will close following publication of our evidence of illegal trading, two years of our campaigning and 75,000 members of the public calling on the event to end. We contacted Doncaster Council regarding the evidence that so-called ‘hobby breeders’ are selling large numbers of reptiles unlawfully at these cruel events and we’re pleased to hear that no further events will be held after June 2022. Similar wildlife markets used to take place across the country but were closed by local authorities concerned about animal welfare and systemic illegality. Even captive bred reptiles are wild animals with complex needs, that suffer in captivity.”

Read our report: 
Doncaster racecourse reptile market: an investigation into illegal trading

Edie Bowles, Solicitor, Advocates for Animals said:

"There are several laws that protect animals at the time of being sold, including the need for businesses to have a licence, compliance with animal welfare legislation and a ban on selling from market stalls. For years Doncaster Council has ignored calls from campaigners to close a large scale reptile trade fair that takes place at Doncaster Racecourse. We are delighted that our work with World Animal Protection, highlighting the potential for systemic illegality and animal welfare concerns at the event, appears to have finally been taken on board by the Council with the event finally closing in June this year." 

World Animal Protection and other organisations such as the Animal Protection Agency have previously criticised the Doncaster reptile market for severe animal welfare concerns. Reptiles such as Ball pythons are routinely crammed for long periods of time into tiny display cases, plastic storage boxes and even Tupperware and takeaway boxes.

Snakes are denied the space to move properly and without access to basic needs such as shelter and water. These stressful conditions cause immense suffering for the individual animals involved. In 2021, World Animal Protection handed a petition into Doncaster Racecourse signed by over 75,000 supporters, calling on the venue to bring the events to an end.

Previously, the International Herpetological Society (IHS) held its ‘national breeders meetings’ four times a year. The market hosted exotic pet breeders selling a wide range of captive bred reptiles such as Ball pythons, Leopard geckos and more, and attracts as many as five thousand visitors.

Exotic pets are wild species that do not have a history of domestication. Any wild animal experiences deprivation and suffering inherent with captivity that limits their natural behaviour and places both their physiological and psychological well-being at risk.

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References

1 Section 2 of the Pet Animals Act 1951
2 The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018

For the past two years, together with our amazing supporters, we've been campaigning for Doncaster Racecourse to stop these cruel events and finally, they've listened.