When I first started doing write ups about our annual trip to the IHS exhibitions in Gillingham, Kent, I never dreamed that "reptile fayres" would become embroiled in such controversy as has enveloped them in the year 2000, with the RSPCA trying to get "reptile fairs" stopped and animal rights protesters demonstrating outside them. To a certain degree this ties in with some of the issues already mentioned in the Herpetological Issues section, so what follows here is simply descriptions of those events we have visited in the past. As we don't get much time to travel up and down the country to anything far afield this page is really only an occasional listing rather than a comprehensive report on what's happening, what's gone before and what's on in the future.
On the other hand, if you want to list an event here, or send us a report on an event you have personally visited, feel free and we'll put your event (and your name, if you want!) here. Feel free to be forthcoming with both praise and criticism where one or both are due.
IHS Annual event, Gillingham, Kent 1999. We had hoped to attend the one scheduled for April 2000 this year, but unfortunately some pressure from the RSPCA and Medway Council forced its cancellation. For the problem of the RSPCA and herp shows, click here. It now seems happily that some compromises on both sides have been reached, which has resulted in both higher standards and the continued right of herpetologists to stage public events. See also the event below...
ERAS Reptile Fayre, Basildon, Essex 2000. This one went ahead without any trouble and was very interesting.