The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has warned that numerous exotic animals have been neglected due to the increase of "fad pets" coming from various popular film releases, reported the Telegraph. This comes after the government in England announced it is going to regulate the online selling of exotic animals — namely snakes, meerkats and lizards — for the very first time.
In England, animal sanctuaries are currently taking care of hundreds of pet owls that were deserted by their owners after the birds were taken in by fans of the "Harry Potter" franchise. Demands for owls as pets intensified after the introduction of Harry's adorable companion Hedwig. Now that the series has ended, many owners have grown tired of caring for their owls, especially when it comes to cleaning up their feathers and droppings.
"[Owls] are quite costly to look after. Ideally, you need a 20-foot aviary and that costs about £900 [$1,318]," said Pam Toothill, of the Owlcentre in Corwen, North Wales, according to the Mirror.
In November 2015, two animal welfare organizations, Blue Cross pet charity and the Born Free Foundation, urged the government to review the exotic pet trade after compiling reports showing a high number of unsuitable and dangerous pets being sold online. The organizations said they found around 25,000 online advertisements offering more than 120 types of exotic animals available for purchase. However, the ads fail to inform customers about how to care for these animals and how dangerous they are, according to the official Born Free website.
