Animal welfare group asks venue not to host Repticon, citing disease concerns

An animal welfare group is asking Cabarrus Arena & Events Center to stop hosting an expo of reptiles and other exotic pets, citing disease concerns.

An open letter from Ben Williamson, U.S. programs director for World Animal Protection, asked Kenny Robinson, the venue’s general manager, to stop hosting “exotic pet events” there. In addition to animal welfare concerns, the letter cites outbreaks of salmonella linked to reptiles and says the organization has found safety concerns at exotic pet events in the past.

The venue plans to host a Repticon expo, at which vendors display and sell a variety of reptiles and other animals, this Saturday and Sunday.

In a news release, the organization said the venue could “help prevent the next possible pandemic” by ending its relationship with Repticon.

“As the world attempts to confront the effects of Covid-19, it is crucial now more than ever to do all we can to prevent a recurrence of this global public health catastrophe,” Williamson said in his letter.

Robinson told The Observer that the venue has held Repticon events since 2009 without seeing the kinds of problems Williamson raised. He said the decision not to host a certain type of event would have to come from the Cabarrus County government, which owns the venue, as opposed to the management company he works for.

Williamson’s letter says that World Animal Protection, an international organization that advocates for animal welfare, visited exotic pet events last year and found “a number of serious concerns” at each one. Its concerns include unhealthy animals offered for sale, as well as animals kept in too-small containers or overcrowded tanks and aquariums.

The letter also cites “lack of concern for the spread of reptile-borne bacteria,” with vendors not encouraging the use of antibacterial soap or only encouraging it before handling an animal.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website lists nine disease outbreaks in the United States linked to reptiles and amphibians between 2011 and 2020. All are of salmonella, and six are linked to turtles—though the website notes that the list is not comprehensive.

Repticon’s website notes that turtles and tortoises are not allowed at events in North Carolina.

The CDC’s website also advises that families should “consider pets other than reptiles or amphibians” if they have young children. Salmonella bacteria in feces can spread the disease even without touching the animals, the website notes.

“At a time when we’re all following the CDC’s advice about COVID, it makes sense that we should also follow their advice about reptiles,” Williamson said in an interview.

Repticon Chief Operating Officer Billy Healy told the Observer in an email that all animals at the events are “housed in species-appropriate enclosures and containers.”

“Guests at Repticon are encouraged to follow common-sense safety precautions, including washing hands often and using hand sanitizer,” Healy added.

He wrote that Repticon has also taken precautions against COVID-19, including requiring face coverings, spacing booths and limiting the number of people in the building.

Williamson wrote in his letter that, aside from concerns about human health, many reptiles die during their first year of captivity “due to the rigors of transport, the stress of confinement and handling, and poor animal husbandry.”

Healy wrote in his email that Repticon sellers “care deeply about their animals” and provide detailed information to purchasers to help them care for their new pets.

Could reptiles cause a pandemic?

Reptiles do have a risk of carrying diseases like salmonella, said Gregory Gray, a professor at Duke University who studies infectious disease. And Gregory Lewbart, a professor of aquatic animal medicine at North Carolina State University, told the Observer in an email that he assumes every reptile carries the bacterium and takes proper precautions.

But Gray said reptiles aren’t likely to harbor respiratory viruses that can jump from animals to humans—like influenza or the novel coronavirus — which tend to cause pandemics.

“I’ve never heard of a worldwide pandemic of salmonella,” Gray said.

Lewbart wrote that bacteria — like salmonella — don’t usually cause pandemics. He isn’t aware of reptile viruses that can jump directly to humans, he added.

Asked about Gray’s assessment, Williamson said that whether or not “pandemic” was the right word in the news release, the “next big disease outbreak” would likely be caused by a reptile.

“I think COVID-19 has taught us that we can’t be complacent when it comes to disease risks and we have to treat these threats seriously,” Williamson said. “Otherwise, we could face another major disaster.”

For Gray, it’s more a matter of weighing the risks.

“There’s value in having pets,” he said, from mental health to education and commerce. “And so while we’re aware that sometimes pets can cause disease, what we do to try to mitigate that is to handle them carefully.”

This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 2:32 PM.