Reptile owners’ platform Responsible Reptile Keeping (RRK) has created a documentary film warning of the dangers of “positive lists”, or legally-enforceable registers of permitted pets.
The film has been prompted by a campaign called Don’t Pet Me, backed by the Scottish SPCA and animal-rights groups OneKind and Born Free, which urges the Scottish Government to introduce a positive list.
The 25-minute documentary, also called Don’t Pet Me, examines what these bans mean in practice, including warnings from animal-care professionals about harming animal welfare, underground keeping, reduced veterinary access, added strain on rescue services, and increased illegal wildlife trade.
The film includes contributions from Scottish breeders and keepers Chris Hogg and Lisa Birrell, responding to claims in the campaign document, which appear to link low incomes and neurodivergence to poor welfare; Dr Martin Singheiser from German group BNA on the lack of evidence supporting positive lists; Svein Fosså of the European Pet Organisation on Norway’s 1977 reptile and amphibian ban and what followed; and RRK co-founder Tony Wigley on why positive lists fail in practice.
RRK said: “Where positive lists have been introduced elsewhere, the results have been devastating – pets being seized and euthanised, welfare harm, rehoming crises, incentives for illegal trade, and the loss of responsible husbandry and conservation progress.”
Aquatic trade association OATA is backing the new documentary.
Chief Executive Dr Matthew Bond said: “We welcome this documentary examining this Scottish campaign that aims to deprive people of their pets. The whole campaign from these anti-keeping groups is very misleading. It’s trying to stir up fear by labelling some pets as ‘wild animals’.
“Pet fish like goldfish and guppies, reptiles like tortoises, birds like budgies, or small mammals like chinchillas are not wild animals and to suggest otherwise is nonsense.
“We know this will feature in the forthcoming Scottish elections in May so we are working with RRK and a host of other pet trade and keeper organisations to call for politicians to reject these calls for permitted lists because it is a pet ban by another name.”
The documentary can be viewed on RRK’s website and also on its YouTube channel.
