At the BC SPCA's AGM on May 29th, CEO Craig Daniell said that shuffling hapless animals from one facility to another would somehow reduce the pet-overpopulation problem. Who are this man's handlers? They need to be fired.

The BC SPCA has entered into an agreement with the biggest seller of animals in BC, Petcetera. Petcetera will supply "pet shuffle buses" to move excess animals between SPCA facilities in an attempt by the SPCA to kill fewer by selling more (instead of spending its own money on community spay neuter and laws to regulate breeding and selling). Petcetera sells many types of exotics such as reptiles and amphibians, it sells caged birds, it sells rabbits and other caged rodents. The SPCA publicly claims to disapprove of the keeping of exotics, but Petcetera is providing the buses, so why look a gift horse in the mouth?

What does Petcetera get out of this deal? It gets the BC SPCA's stamp of approval and that is wonderful for its business, the business of selling exotics and other caged animals, most of which live and die miserably. It also makes it impossible for the SPCA to actually ask for legislation to prevent the selling of exotics, as it has said it will.

In what way does shuffling pets around reduce pet overpopulation? Does Mr Daniell think we all just fell off the turnip truck? This is a crass business deal tarted up to look like a solution to the overriding problem of so many pets that the SPCA kills many thousands a year.