July 30, 2024, 6:19 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Energy costs continue to rise, which is apparently a reason for many owners to give up their exotic pets. But even animal welfare organizations can no longer take in the animals and don’t know what to do next.
Due to rising energy costs, many people are handing over their exotic pet animals to animal shelters and rescue centers. However, these are already overcrowded, and the operators do not know how they will be able to cope with the electricity costs in winter. Many animal shelters are therefore no longer able to take in reptiles. They are also struggling with the high energy costs. But the number of requests remains high. So where to put these lizards, tortoises, and the like?
Animal welfare organizations and animal shelters are on alert because more and more animals are being given away
“The feedback from many animal shelters is unanimous: in recent weeks, more and more owners have contacted us wanting to give up their exotic animals,” said Lea Schmitz, spokesperson for the German Animal Welfare Association. The reason for this is the rise in energy prices. At the same time, the animal welfare association is receiving information from animal shelters that they can no longer take in any more exotic animals.
The animal shelter in Berlin, for example, currently has to reject most exotic animals. “Due to the energy crisis, there were already some requests for animals to be handed in early in the fall,” said Ute Reinhardt, spokesperson for the animal shelter. They have had to turn them down because the exotic animal house is full. The house is 90 percent full – there is only space left in terrariums for emergencies.
The shelter itself is suffering from high energy costs. The gas installment for the entire shelter tripled in November. “We save wherever we can – and with the exotic animals it just isn’t possible,” says Reinhardt. The reptiles, for instance, require a warm enclosure between 77 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Snakes need it even warmer at around 86 degrees Fahrenheit, otherwise they die.
A total of 206 reptiles, including snakes, lizards, geckos, and 160 tortoises, are currently in the capital’s animal shelter. Placing them is not easy, says Reinhardt.
Dangerous exotic animals are parked outside animal shelters due to high energy prices
The situation in Munich was also critical back in November. From a corner of its terrarium, a reticulated python attentively observed what was happening at the reptile rescue center in the Bavarian capital. Again and again, the black tongue darted out of the mouth of the three-meter-long (9.8 foot) constrictor. A few weeks ago, the snake was simply left in a box outside an animal shelter, explains Markus Baur, vet and head of the station. “The reticulated python is generally rather unfriendly, they are impulsive snakes,” he says. The manager of the animal shelter, who found the box outside the door, was lucky – “it could have killed her”.
Comfortable temperatures for exotic animals cause high energy costs
Exotic animal relinquishments are likely to become even more frequent in the future due to the ban on admission to animal shelters. Baur, who has been working at the reptile rescue center for over 30 years, suspects that this is due to rising energy costs. “The reticulated python is tropical, it comes from Southeast Asia and needs a permanent, at least rainforest-like climate,” says the 55-year-old. The temperature must therefore not fall below 77 degrees Fahrenheit; otherwise, the snake will become ill. But you first have to be able to afford such heating costs.
“If the price of electricity rises to 50 cents per kilowatt-hour, the UV lighting alone will cost around 230 euros ($250) a year to keep a bearded dragon,” calculates Patrick Boncourt, reptile expert at the German Animal Welfare Association. With additional costs for food, vet visits, and the operation of daylights and other electronic equipment, a lizard would quickly incur annual costs between 500 and 800 euros (approximately 540 to 860 US dollars).
As animal shelters are often unable to look after exotic animals, many of them end up in rescue centers, says Baur. The center in Munich is also currently struggling with space problems: “We are full to bursting”. Every day, the center receives around a dozen emails and calls from reptile owners who want to hand in their animals.
Due to high energy costs, many people want to get rid of their exotic pets
Normally expensive reptile species are currently being offered for sale on the internet at extremely low prices, says Baur. Just recently, two abandoned leopard geckos arrived at the sanctuary. One of these was worth hundreds of euros due to its yellow-bred color.
But the terrariums filled with tortoises, lizards, and snakes at the sanctuary also need to be heated and lit. Baur believes it is unlikely that they will be able to cope with the high energy costs this winter. “We can no longer sleep well at night because we don’t know how we’re going to finance it,” he says.
According to ProWildlife representative Katharina Lameter, the energy crisis is exacerbating a problem that has existed for some time. Many exotic animals are not being kept according to their needs. Now we are in a dilemma because many people cannot meet the standards for species-appropriate animal husbandry at home. And they can also not hand the animals over to the overcrowded animal shelters and rescue centers.
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Lack of expertise and failure on the part of politicians
ProWildlife sees the failure on the part of politicians. The animal welfare organization has been advocating for the adoption of a so-called positive list in Germany for some time. “A positive list would specify which animal species are suitable as pets and may continue to be traded and kept,” says Lameter. In addition, pet owners should have to prove that they have the necessary specialist knowledge before acquiring their animals.
Markus Baur also believes that the welfare of exotic animals is at risk during the current winter months. “This will be a major animal welfare problem,” he says. Some pet owners might consider using an energy-saving lamp for their exotic pets in winter, only leaving it on for a few hours. “This will kill the animals”.
With material from dpa