Nov 25, 1997

Nicholas Read

Good news: The Vancouver SPCA and Petcetera have agreed that exotic animals will no longer be sold at Petcetera's new Vancouver store. They announced last week that selling these animals for profit will no longer be part of Petcetera's business.

The SPCA and Petcetera had struck an agreement whereby Petcetera would have SPCA dogs and cats in the store for adoption. Petcetera would make no money from their placement; instead, the fees would go to the SPCA and toward spaying or neutering the animal.

In return, Petcetera would gain the kind of goodwill that only good works like that can bring.

But undermining the exercise was the unacceptable presence of a number of exotic animals for sale, including lizards, snakes and flying squirrels.

Such animals don't belong in captivity. They are intrinsically wild creatures, even if they've been bred in captivity, and their capture in the wild can result in a hundred dead animals for each one that survives.

Originally the Vancouver SPCA said that while it didn't endorse the practice, it had no problem with it because there had been no public complaints.

But last week, Vancouver SPCA executive director Doug Hooper changed his mind. He said after consultation with Petcetera staff and especially the SPCA's provincial office, the store would stop selling all exotic animals immediately.

Those that remain will be put up for adoption in the same way that cats and dogs are and when they're gone, they will not be replaced.

It means that the only animals left for sale will be fish, a few birds and some rodents. Ideally, not even they should be for sale, but the situation is still far better than it was.

The B.C. provincial office also has placed a moratorium on any more SPCA branches forming associations with businesses until a set of guidelines can be drawn up for such partnerships.

It's a startling and welcome development. Startling, because only two weeks ago Hooper said "everything was under control", and welcome, because it means the end of an incalculable amount of animal suffering.

It also suggests that the SPCA is finally going to take the issue of exotic animals seriously, something it's failed to do for too long.