Banned! RSPCA Cymru welcomes pets as prizes council ban in North Wales

RSPCA Cymru has welcomed news that Denbighshire County Council has banned the giving out of pets as prizes on their land.

It follows recent bans by Swansea Council and Carmarthenshire County Council – and means the total number of local authorities in Wales who have taken action is now 15 out of 22.

At a council meeting earlier this month, councillors of Denbighshire County Council agreed to ban the giving of live animals as prizes, in any form, on Denbighshire land. The council also agreed to write to policy-makers to urge for an outright ban on the giving of live animals as prizes on both public and private land.

As part of its #NoFunAtTheFair campaign, RSPCA Cymru is calling on the outdated practice to be stopped – and has been campaigning for all councils in Wales to introduce their own local bans on their land. So far since its June 2023 launch – 12,277 people have supported the RSPCA campaign which follows more than 8,325 throwing their support behind the issue in 2022.

In July, the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths MS, welcomed RSPCA Cymru’s campaigning on this issue and hoped the remaining councils would soon take action.

Sioned Nikolic, RSPCA Cymru’s public affairs officer, said: “It is fantastic news to have Denbighshire added to our list to make it 15 local authorities in total who have taken action.

“We’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to fill out our campaign action and to the councillors too for their part in getting this over the line in their areas.

“The list is growing and we hope that we can soon say all 22 local authorities have banned this outdated practice.

“We know that this is something people care about – with many assuming it is already banned. Sadly, this practice can still take place on private land despite the council bans,  so we would ultimately like to see pets being given away as prizes banned outrightly by the Welsh Government.”

This summer RSPCA Cymru released data that revealed:

• 83% of those asked in Wales were shocked that pets can still legally be given away as

prizes

• More than 4 in 5 (84%) in Wales agree that local governments in Wales and England should ban the giving of pets as prizes on council-owned land

• 44% in Wales know someone who has won a pet as a prize (a fish)

• 1 in 3 UK adults (32%) have won a pet as a prize – this rose to 38% when applied to those asked in Wales

• 89% of those asked in Wales agree that keeping a goldfish in a bag is animal cruelty

The 15 local authorities who have banned the practice so far are Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, the Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham. Some town and community councils have also initiated their own localised action.

Over the past few years (since 2020) there have been 42 reports – about pets being given as prizes made to the RSPCA; but the charity fears many incidents go unreported.

The RSPCA believes animal ownership is a big responsibility, and while goldfish can make great companions, they shouldn’t be acquired via a spur-of-the-moment game. Goldfish are easily stressed and very often fish that are won as prizes suffer miserably from shock, oxygen starvation or die from changes in water temperature, while many may die before their new owners can get them home.

Sioned added: “They’re misunderstood pets as they can make great companions; but can actually be challenging to look after. New owners must do their research before they acquire the fish, not afterwards.

“Before bringing a fish home for the first time, it’s important to set the tank up at least two weeks in advance to make sure it’s all running smoothly, and this just isn’t possible for someone who’s won a fish without being prepared for it.”

The RSPCA will also continue to make the case to both the UK Government and Welsh Government that pets being given away as prizes should be banned outright, and that national legislation in both countries is much needed.

You can take the RSPCA’s #NoFunAtTheFair campaign action here.

The RSPCA’s frontline teams are working hard to rescue animals in need but we can’t do it alone – to help support the RSPCA, visit: www.rspca.org.uk/cruelty