A plan to stop people giving away live animals as prizes has been approved by Bridgend County Borough Council.
While many may be used to the tradition of winning a gold fish at their local fair or school fate, council officers in Bridgend as well as members at the RSPCA decided against the 'outdated practice' in the borough, meaning people will no longer be able to give away pets such as gold fish or livestock as prizes on council owned land.
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The move, decided this week at a cabinet meeting on October 18, comes after the local authority was drawn to the particular campaign from the RSPCA, raising awareness around what was described as 'the outdated practice' of live animals being given out as prizes.
The RSPCA said 48 cases were reported to the charity of live animals being given as prizes in Wales between 2014 and 2020. While a large number of these were goldfish being given at fair-grounds, examples of other animals being given as prizes included dogs, ducklings and horses.
The report given to council bosses read: "The practice raises concerns as the individuals being given animals as prizes had not planned to become pet owners and as a result do not have the wherewithal, in the moment, to provide for the animal’s welfare needs.
"Between 2014 and 2020, 48 cases were reported to the RSPCA of live animals being given as prizes in Wales. While a large number of these were goldfish being given at fair-grounds, examples of other animals being given as prizes included dogs, ducklings and horses."
The RSPCA has previously told members of the public that animal ownership is a big responsibility, and one that should be planned and thought out. They added that animals often do not have their welfare needs met both prior to, during and after being given as a prize. Bridgend now follows a number of other authorities across Wales who have banned the giving of live animals as a prize, such as Caerphilly, Wrexham and the Vale of Glamorgan, though the group has also called upon all local councils to follow suit.
While councillors in attendance agreed to pass the recommendation, they also admitted that they would not have the budget to provide extra policing for the issue, and would need a community effort to report such incidents in the future. You can read more of our stories from Bridgend here.
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