After our success in Doncaster, World Animal Protection and dedicated supporters continue the battle to put a stop to inhumane reptile markets.
Last year, in June 2022, Doncaster Racecourse finally hosted its very last reptile market.
This amazing achievement was the result of a two-year campaign by World Animal Protection and the campaigning actions of thousands of our amazing supporters who demanded an end to these cruel events.
The reptile market at Doncaster Racecourse had been taking place there for many years, the last large scale reptile market left in the UK. Doncaster Racecourse’s decision to stop hosting the event and the level of public outrage about the animal welfare conditions present at the markets, sent a very real message to market organisers, venues and local authorities that these inhumane and outdated events will not be tolerated.
Of course, our hope was that the end of the Doncaster reptile market would mean the end of thousands of animals needlessly suffering so that they can be crammed into plastic boxes to be bought and sold like products at any other street-style table-top market.
However, not unsurprisingly, once Doncaster Racecourse had made their decision regarding the future of the markets at their venue, the organisers immediately began seeking a new place to hold them. This wasn’t an easy task as many events spaces are not keen to host contentious markets which involve the sale of wild (i.e., non-domesticated) species of animals.
Eventually, a new venue was found and, for the rest of 2022, the market relocated to the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester where two events were held. For 2023, there is yet another new venue with another two markets planned: one in June and one in September, this time at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
While there may have been changes in venue, there has been absolutely no change in the suffering of the animals exploited at these events with many varieties of snakes, lizards, frogs and toads trapped for hours in cramped stressful conditions that cause immense suffering.
Since last June, World Animal Protection has quietly but persistently continued our campaign against these large-scale reptile markets. We have joined forces with other animal welfare NGOs, including Animal Protection Agency and Freedom for Animals, in order to maximise our impact.
We’ve been engaging with venue managements and local authorities, sharing our evidence and highlighting the legal and welfare problems these events present. And, most critically of all in terms of finding a permanent solution, we have been lobbying Defra to secure the necessary changes to legislation and guidance to stop these markets from taking place full stop.
Watch this space for updates as we continue to work towards ending the exploitation of wild animal species by the pet trade and fight for an end to cruel reptile markets taking place in the UK.
Image credits: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror
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While there may have been changes in venue, there has been absolutely no change in the suffering of the animals exploited at these events with many varieties of snakes, lizards, frogs and toads trapped for hours in cramped stressful conditions that cause immense suffering.