Tony Jones

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.

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.

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."

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