Hull pet store proprietor banned from maintaining unique animals after ravenous snakes die

A Hull pet store proprietor has been banned from maintaining unique animals after six snakes died shortly after being rescued.

Andrea Maxine Darnell, 59, of Wivern Road, Hull, owns Diamond Exotic pet store in Saville Street. She was handed a 10-year ban on maintaining any unique pet after pleading responsible to inflicting pointless struggling to 6 snakes in an RSPCA prosecution at Hull Magistrates Court on February 20.

The courtroom heard that the RSPCA first visited the Diamond Exotic pet store in May 2023. Concerns concerning the welfare of the animals stored on the store had been flagged to the charity.

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RSPCA Inspector Laura Barber mentioned: “On our preliminary go to, a variety of worrying points have been instantly obvious. To me and my colleague, exotics skilled Inspector Kim Greaves, the store appeared very overcrowded, with varied vivariums stacked on prime of one another and inappropriate numbers of animals in the identical, small vivariums.

“Many of them – together with iguanas, snakes, bearded dragons and a Chinese Water Dragon – have been being stored in soiled, inappropriate situations or confirmed historic accidents. A Rhinocerus Iguana was operating free, some vivariums had no substrate and a big, reticulated Python was present in a too-small vivarium.

“A Chinese water dragon appeared to have a historic therapeutic mouth concern and lots of the vivariums have been over-heated. We have been very involved for these animals.”

The RSPCA inspectors issued the pet store proprietor with Animal Welfare Notices setting out what was required for her to enhance the situations within the store. They mentioned that they might revisit to examine her progress after a month.

In late June 2023, Inspector Barber and Inspector Greaves attended the pet store once more accompanied by Hull City Council’s pet store inspector to examine on progress. Unfortunately, there have been no enhancements because the RSPCA’s earlier go to and – in breach of the licence situations – Darnell did not have feeding or different care record-keeping documentation.

This time, the inspectors additionally visited two rooms on the second flooring of the premises which have been in a large number with garbage and old inventory objects. One room had 18 young snakes in a racking system with out thermostats and plenty of had no water available.

Six of the snakes upstairs have been in notably poor situation. Five corn snakes and one Royal Python have been chilly to the contact, underweight and near demise. The corn snakes’ vivarium was soiled with a nasty odor, had no lighting and the one water bowl contained little or no water – described as not massive sufficient to wash in.

The pet store proprietor claimed the python had not eaten since she had acquired it and had by no means been taken to a vet. Darnell confirmed she owned all six of those ailing snakes.

All six of the dying snakes have been signed over to the RSPCA and the council revoked the pet-shop proprietor’s licence. The snakes have been taken straight to the vet for a preliminary examination earlier than being put within the care of a specialist boarding facility to await additional in-depth veterinary checks.

Sadly, the Royal Python and one of many corn snakes quickly handed away. Over a interval of days, the remaining 4 snakes additionally died.

The vet reported that every one the snakes had been dehydrated and intensely emaciated with important weight reduction. They had suffered from mites and a few confirmed recommendations of metabolic bone illness. She believed hunger and dehydration have been the possible reason for demise.

She concluded all of the snakes had been precipitated to endure unnecessarily by the person accountable for their care by failing to supply applicable diet, hydration, a clear setting and talent to carry out regular behaviour by means of lack of applicable setting, husbandry, and feeding.

RSPCA Inspector Barber mentioned: “There was no excuse for not offering these poor snakes with their basic wants and failing to hunt veterinary look after them when it was abundantly clear that they so desperately wanted it.

“These have been terrible circumstances and easily shouldn’t have occurred. The RSPCA urges anybody struggling to deal with their animals to ask for assist, reasonably than neglecting them and leaving them to endure.”

Darnell was additionally sentenced to 12-month Community Order of 250 hours of unpaid work, should pay £400 prices and £154 Victim Surcharge. A Confiscation Order was additionally made in relation to 4 tarantula spiders.