Thousands of wild and exotic animals are being abandoned in the UK by owners who find them too difficult to look after.
Increasing numbers of exotic animals and reptiles such as monkeys and snakes are being adopted by British households but discarded soon after.
The RSPCA has reported that it has rescued 5,000 such animals in the past year alone, and warned about the unexpected difficulties many owners will run in to by taking in unconventional pets.
The animal welfare group said that 700,000 reptiles and exotic pets are now kept as pets in the UK.
Social media
One of the key areas for growth in the pet industry is through social media, as many unlicensed sellers are finding customers with increasing ease.
One animal which has become extremely popular is the marmoset – a monkey native to Brazil which now sells for up to £1,500 in the UK.
The RSPCA warned that marsomets are being kept in horrific conditions in UK households where they do not have enough room and develop serious medical problems.
‘Completely inappropriate’
“We did have a case where there was the owner of a Marmoset who was taking his monkey to the local pub on a lead and had been doing that fairly regularly, apparently, before he was reported to us,” Dr Ros Clubb, Senior Scientific Manager at the RSPCA said in a statement.
“Obviously, that’s completely inappropriate for a wild animal like a Marmoset so we did manage to take action on that.”
Marsomets are increasing in popularity in part because owners do not need to obtain specific permits to keep them as pets – unlike snakes and other reptiles.
Animal rights campaigners are calling for an outright ban on keeping marmosets and other primates as pets in the UK.
Share this article to reveal the problems associated with buying exotic pets. See more about the campaign to ban keeping primates as pets here.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
First-ever plant-based training programme to launch in the UK
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 22nd January 2021
“We hope to inspire and empower the next generation of chefs through the HIT course by highlighting just how easy it is to add creative meat-free dishes to menus.” HIT Training has launched a new plant-based culinary school in the UK. The chef academy has teamed up with meat-free pioneer, Quorn to present an eight-month …
Michelin star awarded to a vegan restaurant in France for the first time
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 19th January 2021
Vegan eatery ONA has also been awarded Michelin’s green star – in recognition of its strong ethical practices. A vegan French restaurant has won a Michelin Guide star, the first for an establishment serving only meat-free products in France. Claire Vallee runs the ONA restaurant in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux, in south-west France. …
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …