Last weekend saw the annual British Royal Pigeon Racing Association show in Blackpool. The show attracts around 15,000 visitors, with over 100 trade stands and around 3,000 animals. It’s the biggest pigeon show in the calendar and, as far as we are aware, it went off without a hitch.

But this is a reptile site, so why am I telling you this? Because at the same time as the pigeon show was happening, the UK reptile show scene is preparing for a landmark legal case to determine if reptile shows are legal.

The Federation of British Herpetologists, representing the interests of reptile societies and hobbyists, is confident that the judicial review will be a good thing for the hobby regardless of the outcome.

Should the review find in favour of the shows then this will be a major blow to the extremist animal rights organizations who wish to see the shows banned. Should the review go against the hobby, then government will be under enormous pressure to revise the loophole in the outdated legislation in British law which makes the legality of shows ambiguous. It is hoped that the shows will eventually be licensed as this will vindicate local authorities who are pressured into stopping the shows by animal rights campaigners.

Reptile shows are a hugely beneficial network facilitating the sharing of expertise. Many respected animal welfare organizations recommend hobbyists buy their animals directly from a reputable breeder, and these shows provide the best opportunity to achieve that aim. These shows and relationships help to advance the hobby.

More worryingly, should reptile shows be banned then the ruling would likely be rolled out to cover all vertebrate animals – dogs, cats, fish, rabbits and pigeons included. Then where would we be?

Reptile hobbyists in the UK are watching closely as new legislation unfolds in other member countries of the European Union.

Legislators in Holland have imposed "white list" restrictions on the types of mammals that can be kept in that country, with similar lists for reptiles and birds to be revealed soon.

White list legislation comprises a list of species that can be kept in that country, with all other species becoming illegal. Although this type of legislation is condemned by most pet and welfare experts, it is becoming the holy grail of animal-rights groups in Europe and around the world, as these laws impose the greatest restrictions on the number of species that can be kept.

The alternative "black list" approach to legislation, which only outlaws those species that are proved to be problematic or invasive, is more widely adopted where proper research and consultation has been conducted. However, with several European countries considering white-list laws, British keepers are worried that this legislation could be adopted and rolled out across the entire Euro-zone.

Britain’s reptile hobby and trade have been well protected by advocate organizations such as The Reptile and Exotic Pet Trade and the Federation of British Herpetologists, and so home-grown legislation is unlikely to be problematic. However, reptile keepers are poorly represented in European political circles where animal rights groups are active, well-funded, and organized.

Should the EU Commission decide to heed the lobbying of these groups, the legislation produced there would override any British laws.

International courier company TNT has announced it will no longer ship live reptiles in the UK for what it calls "health and safety reasons."

Although the original announcement was made in October of last year, it was made so quietly hat many reptile hobbyists and businesses are only finding out about the change in policy now, when their packages are returned to them the following day by TNT drivers telling them that their depot was "no longer handling reptiles."

I’m not sure what aspect of the reptile shipping service could be considered unhealthy or dangerous, but then I doubt if this is the real reason for the company’s change of policy. Whatever the reason, to those of us who understand reptile transportation protocols, the decision is crazy. I’ve written several magazine features about transporting and packing reptiles safely based on my experience of shipping many thousands of reptiles over several decades. To me it seems like a dumb decision, whichever way you look at it.

According to a piece in UK pet trade publication PBW News, a TNT spokesman said, "The company has made the decision not to transport any animals due to health and safety reasons. As a result, we are not taking on any new customers in this area."

In response to queries from Pet Business World about potential health and safety issues with transporting reptiles, Judith Hackitt, chairman of the Health and Safety Executive, said, "I see this time and time again, companies using health and safety as a blanket excuse and it’s got to stop. It is misleading for members of the public to constantly read headlines blaming non-existent health and safety laws for stopping people for going about their everyday business. It detracts from the real business of health and safety."

This year will be a defining year for British reptile keepers.



This year the UK will see the publication of the list of species to be banned from private ownership under the EU Invasive Alien Species Regulations. This is a defining moment in history. Never before has the UK banned the private ownership of any animal. The number of species affected is initially likely to very small, but there will be the inevitably push from the "antis" have more and more species added.

The EU is also the source of a debate to implement a positive list of approved reptile species. Keepers in Belgium and the Netherlands are very much at the forefront of this insidious push by the antis to ban keeping of non-approved species. There’s nothing positive about a positive list.

2015 will also finally answer a argument that has been raging for more than 20 years - are UK reptile shows are legal or not. The question will finally be answered this year by the British High Court.

Despite these threats, our hobby continues to grow. 2014 saw more reptiles and amphibians kept in the UK than ever before. There was also an increase in the number of pet shops licensed to sell reptiles, and this growth is set to continue and 2015. Although business has been tough, we're bucking the trend of many other sectors. Growth was strongest in the frozen food sector (rodents) with an increase of about 11 percent, and live foods by about 7 percent.

A belated happy New Year to everyone and I hope it is a prosperous time for everyone.

Photo: 1999 International Herp Society Fall Expo, Walsall, U.K. - courtesy Jeff Barringer