Lush leading the way in reptile awareness

A COSMETICS shop in Aberdeen took part in a demonstration yesterday to urge customers not to keep reptiles or exotic animals as pets.

Lush stores across the UK are taking part in a week-long campaign run by the Animal Protection Agency (APA), designed to highlight the suffering many reptiles experience if they are not cared for properly.

Jenny Coyne, who works in the Union Street store, even dressed as a chameleon and sat inside a small cage to grab the attention of shoppers.

Other staff members handed out leaflets advising people of things to consider before buying a reptile or exotic animal, such as a snake, lizard or turtle.

Charity APA believes that the captivity of these animals can cause stress, which may lead to disease. They are also concerned that people buy reptiles without doing the proper research into looking after their new pet.

Shop supervisor Emma White said Lush decided to take part in the nationwide campaign to raise the profile of the charity’s work.

She said: “We had a really positive response from the customers that we spoke to.

“We decided to get involved because as a vegetarian and vegan company, we do a lot of campaigning for animal rights. This is an issue that has not really been covered yet, so we wanted to get it out there on behalf of APA and show that reptiles should not be kept as pets.”

Lush is also selling limited-edition colour-changing bath balls during the campaign, with all proceeds going to APA.