Ask Connected Ink to hand over 'their' snake!

by Catlady Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:54

This is a good example of why the trade in exotic wild animals should not exist. It is far too easy to walk into a shop and buy whatever creature takes your fancy, with little or no idea of how to care fro them properly. I have contacted the tattoo parlour in question and they have admitted to me that the snake has outgrown its cage, but have no plans to buy a bigger one... in other words, they don't give a flying f*uc about the animals discomfprt at not being able to so much as uncurl him or herself. Given the fact that snakes never actually stop growing, the issue of space should have been a concern from the outset, not something to simply ignore.

The snake in question is a jungle carpet python, a semi-arboreal reptile which likes to be able to climb up branches, likes to soak in water (and indeed needs to for the purposes of shedding their skin),needs rocks etc. to rub against for shedding, and needs at least two hide-aways in their enclosure, one close to their heat source and one further away, for the purposes of thermo-regulation. The idea that this unfortunate victim of ignorant inidividuals concerned only with whatever cash they can make from his sale are dep[riving him of every basic need (apart from air and food) is utterly disgraceful. They simply want rid of him, poresumably to avoid negative publicity, and don't care who he goes to or what conditions he will be forced to endure, as lkong as they get their money. Shame on them! If they had any decency they would already have provided him with adequate living space whilst waiting for a new home for him.

This snakes suffering highlights the suffering endured by the huge numbers of exotic animals bred for the so-called "pet trade" and sold in Irish shops. Anything goes it seems, from hermit crabs to spiders to reptiles and birds. many of these animlas are difficult to maintain, and their needs cannot be met in captivity. Hermit crabs, for example, live in huge colonies in the wild. They require particular humidity levels, a varied diet of both plant and animal origin, the company of their own kind, and a selection of second hand shells everytime they outgrow their old one (they inspect and choose their new shell, and are highly competitive for the best ones in the wild).

As if all that wasn't enough, the wild populations are now coming under threat due to the trapping of these animals to be sold to idiots with a victorian taste for the exotic and no idea how to care for them. In an ideal Ireland this trade would not exist, but due to the inevitable result of suffocation, I won't be holding my breath for the government to address the issue.

I hope that many many people will contact Connected Ink to voice their opinion on this matter, to get this animal into a safe place where he will be well cared for and provided with a large and enriched living space, which is the best that can be done for him in captivity. A two minute phone call could change his entire existance (they live for up to 30 years - a long time to spend in cramped conditions, eh?). I also hope that people will reconsider before buying exotic animals. Not only are they extremely difficult to care for, but they do not provide the same affection and company or interaction as a cat or dog - domesticated, freely available from pounds and rescue centres, and in dire need of good homes.