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Experts in disagreement over exotic pets
Governments of several countries are exploring the regulation, or even banning, of exotic pet keeping.

Scientists debate ethical issues of keeping reptiles and amphibians   

A team of international scientists has argued that keeping pet reptiles and amphibians does not place a ‘disproportionate burden’ on public health or animal welfare, compared to that of keeping other companion animals.

Their review, published in the Veterinary Record, calls for the responsible and sustainable keeping of these animals as pets, and makes a number of recommendations for improving their welfare.

However, a viewpoint article by five veterinary surgeons and the biologist Clifford Warwick - also published in Vet Record - criticised the review, accusing the authors of seeking to ‘water down decades of objective science’.

Keeping exotic pets is currently under debate and the governments of several countries are exploring the regulation, or even banning, of exotic pet keeping. Major concerns outlined in the review by F Pasmans et al, include public health and safety issues, animal welfare and biodiversity conservation. Exotic pets (defined by review authors as all pets excluding dogs, cats and horses) are thought to make up 34-64 per cent of the pet population.

Writing in Vet Record, scientists said: ‘Despite the wide availability of specialist information, care products and expert advice and veterinary care, inappropriate management and nutrition by inexperienced keepers remains a concern, particularly because of potentially misleading information available online.

‘The authors do not, however, believe that keeping reptiles and amphibians presents a disproportionate burden on public health or animal welfare compared with that posed by the keeping of other companion animals. The authors therefore do not see any valid reasons to selectively restrict the keeping of reptiles and amphibians for these reasons.’

They believe regulatory measures should be based on evidence-based risk assessment criteria, that are free from ‘public perceptions and pressure’. Recommendations made in the report include: developing and maintaining species-specific, minimal husbandry requirements; educating pet keepers; sanitary measures to prevent pathogen pollution; increasing the sustainability of the pet trade by promoting trade in captive-bred animals; closing legal loopholes, and; promoting high standards of veterinary care.

However, Clifford Warwick and others point out that 70 per cent mortality rates at exotics wholesalers are considered ‘industry standard’. In addition, they cited an investigation of 15 European wholesalers, of which 11 were considered prosecutable due to poor animal welfare standards. Not only that, research has shown up to three-quarters of reptiles die during their first year in the home, and at least 30 behavioural signs of stress are regularly observed in captive reptiles. There also remains ‘a dearth of independent, objective, scientific evidence-based data’ on the needs of these animals.

‘We would argue that the small amount published implies that reptilian and amphibian biological needs are so complex and require such advanced scientific understanding that they cannot be met even in the best zoos (let alone private homes),’ they wrote.

Furthermore, they said, reptiles and amphibians are associated with at least 40 zoonoses, most notorious of which is reptile-associated human salmonellosis (RAS). It is suggested there are approximately 74,000 cases of RAS a year in the USA and 6,000 cases annually in the UK.

In conclusion, Clifford Warwick et al said risk-based species restrictions ‘are indeed valuable’, particularly before any commercialisation.

‘The evidence from the highest levels of bioscience demonstrates that mitigating the destructiveness of reptile trading and keeping resides in bans and ‘positive lists’ (PLs) – species impartially determined suitable to be kept by scientific evidence.’

 

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.