SNAKES for sale at a hypermarket in Kuala Lumpur have drawn the ire of a veterinarian Dr Kavita Kaur, who sent an email to The Star saying she was shocked to see shelves lined with mini-terrariums and aquariums containing snakes.
“I believe it is morally wrong to sell snakes, more so in a supermarket for a number of reasons,” she said.
“Snakes are wildlife and should not be kept as pets but in their natural habitat. Keeping them in small terrariums severely restricts their movement and they are also subjected to stress due to the constant staring by shoppers,” Kavita said.
She added that there was a risk that the demand for such animals would increase now that they were sold in mainstream supermarkets.
No more: A hypermarket spokesman said the cages and the snakes had been removed following a complaint by a customer. “Customers may be more inclined to buy a snake from a respected supermarket than from a shady animal trader making it seem more acceptable and legitimate for one to own wildlife.
“Also, snakes carry the Salmonella bacteria, which can cause illness and death in humans, so a curious child could easily contract the bacteria and spread it to other sections of the supermarket,” she added.
During a visit by StarMetro, there were a few types of snakes like the Mock Viper and Oriental Whip Snake housed inside the mini aquariums. A padlock had been put up on top of each aquarium,
When contacted, a spokesman for the hypermarket said the company had asked the trader to remove the snakes from display.
“Customer satisfaction is our main priority and since there was a complaint from one customer, we decided to have them removed and the snakes are no longer available at this particular store,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman also said if there were complaints from customers at the hypermarket’s other stores, then action would be taken on a case-to-case basis.
A spokesman from the Wildlife and National Parks Department, said the snakes sold were usually non-venomous and the padlocks would ensure that the snakes could not escape.
The spokesman added that the snakes were also unprotected, common species, hence the hypermarket did not need a permit to sell the reptiles.
Members of the public also do not need licences to rear the snakes.
When contacted, Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) communications head Andrew Sebastian said that although the hypermarket’s trader had the necessary permits to sell, it did not mean that it was right to sell wildlife.
“The question is that we don’t know if the snakes are wild stock or captive bred. Some wildlife are imported but, most often, they are from the forests so the Forestry Act still applies and no wildlife can be taken out from the forests.
“The origin of these animals is always questionable even those in pet shops.
“Even if the snakes are not exotic species, there is no need for people to sell or keep it.
“A hypermarket should not be propagating the sale of wildlife to the public,” he said.
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