# Anyone here a Lush fan??? Read on...



## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

You may wonder what this perceptively wonderful cosmetic store has to do with general reptile chat. Well...you may want to read this. I received Lush Times through the post this morning and was quite happily flicking through until I got to page 43. 

I was astonished to find an APA advert, with the usual 'reptiles are wild animals, not pets' and 'join the APA to fight against the exotic pet trade'. There is always one line that gets me every time: "there is very little reliable information available on basic reptile care". 

On any other day I would have thrown this rubbish across the other side of the living room, but this advert urged people to join the APA and that Lush would donate all the proceeds for it's Chameleon Ballistic product to the APA in August - helping to fund their further projects. I quote from the advert:

"Lush are supporting the APA in a number of ways. We really want to raise awareness about the serious issues that affect chameleons when they are kept as pets...Lush will also be handing out leaflets...Please come along to our events and visit our shops to collect your leaflet and buy a chameleon bath bomb to show your support for, not only the APA, but those individual chameleons..."

So yes, Lush are in full support of the APA and their reptile-related activities so my advice to anyone is to stop purchasing from them unless they can get their act together. I will be calling them in the morning to ask them to take me off their mailing list. I agree that there are a lot of people that mistreat reptiles but what about the abundance of us who love reptiles and give them happy loving homes?


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## MissCat (Mar 9, 2009)

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/shelled-turtles-tortoise/554324-lush.html

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/snakes/541204-lush.html


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## Chris Newman (Apr 23, 2007)

This may be of some help, it’s a statement of facts in response to the Lush/APA campaign: 



*I’M A CHAMELEON GET ME OUT OF HERE!*​

*The Animal Protection Agency (APA) is the only European organisation solely focused on ceasing the trade in wild animals as pets. Founded in 2004, APA regularly contributes to the media; conducts scientific studies; provides advice to local and national Government; and offers a variety of educational resources, from leaflets to film.*


*The Animal Protection Agency Ltd was formed when Elaine left Animal Aid Ltd to set up her own business. It is somewhat disingenuous for Elaine to claim she provides advice for local and national government, but rather she bombards them with inaccurate and misleading information. This is a significantly different to being an advisor who is actively involved as a direct government stake holder. *

*CAPTURING REPTILES FROM THE WILD FOR THE PET TRADE IS SADLY STILL LEGAL FOR MOST SPECIES.*


*Sustainable utilisation is the cornerstone of conservation and, as such, is actively supported by both the UK government and all member states of the EU, along with responsible conservation bodies.*

Six million reptiles were imported into the EU last year and almost 200,000 arrived in Britain from outside of the EU. These figures only show recorded trade; the true scale is actually much larger and is driving many species towards extinction.

*These figures are inaccurate and misleading, as numbers imported were significantly lower. Actually 90% of reptiles in the pet trade today are bred in captivity, not wild collected.*

The capture and transportation process is inherently crude and brutal. Chameleons, for instance, can suffer broken bones whilst being collected from the wild, either from rough handling or from the blow they receive when knocked from the branches to the ground. These frightened animals, who are usually solitary for most of the time, hiss and bite each other when packaged together in batches, which cause further injury and stress. The chameleons, already suffering from shock, can then endure long periods of dehydration and unsuitable temperatures whilst being transported the lond distance to the wholesaler.

*Those animals that die en route are simply factored in by the dealer as 'expected losses'.*

*A study by the Animal Reception Centre on mortality in transit (2003) on live reptiles and amphibians, showed that of the 501,310 reptiles and amphibians imported or trans-shipped via Heathrow, mortality on arrival was 0.47%, not the 50% claimed by various anti pet-keeping organisations. *

Most wild-caught reptiles die within their first year of captivity. Breeding reptiles in captivity for the pet trade causes suffering on a huge scale. According to the Animal Protection Agency, commercial reptile-breeding operations in the UK routinely operate outside of the law, are unlicensed and uninspected, and conditions are invariably inhumane.


*It is completely untrue that most reptiles die in their first year in captivity. This information was taken from a very old study on the importation of wild tortoises which has been prohibited. The truth is that reptiles kept in captivity are likely to live twice as long as their wild counterparts. *

The rise in popularity of reptiles as pets is currently due in part to the way they are marketed. For instance, some dealers readily claim that reptiles are easier to keep than dogs! Starter-kits are often sold alongside newly purchased animals. For these enormously complex animals; 'off-the-shelf' kits are nothing more than short-term life support systems and can be lethal in the long term.

*CAWC (June 2003) REPORT ON THE WELFARE OF NON-DOMESTICATED ANIMALS KEPT FOR COMPANIONSHIP*

*“….it may be easier to keep some non-domesticated species to high welfare standards than some that are domesticated. Thus, meeting all the requirements - space, dietary, social, thermal, and so on - of a small, hardy, reptile may be more readily achievable for many people than adequately fulfilling all the needs of some breeds of dog” *

*CAWC is a scientific body that is the formal advisor to government on animal welfare issues.*

There is very little reliable information available on basic reptile care. Guidance that can be found on a lot of websites and in care-sheets and guide books can be misleading, false, and even dangerous. For some species, good quality information is available but tends to be buried in scientific texts and is largely inaccessible to the general public. To make matters worse, pet shops set a bad example to customers. For example, reptiles should never be kept in glass tanks. In the wild, reptiles don't encounter glass boundaries and never adapt to cope with them. Repeatedly trying to escape can cause facial injuries and also long-term and consistent stress.


*In truth there is a plethora of information concerning reptile care, indeed as early as 1897 the Reverend George Bateman wrote a book entitled The Vivarium. This was the first English book published on how to keep and breed reptiles in captivity but the first book on reptile care was actually published in Europe (Germany) by Johann Matthaus Bechstein way back in 1797.*

*Pet Marketing Services is the largest distributor of books on companion animals in the country and their catalogue lists:*

*104 titles on horses*
*136 on cats *
*200 on reptiles*

*Today there is probably more information published on reptilian husbandry that just about any other companion animal. *

Lush is helping the Animal Protection Agency to drive home the message that reptiles are wild animals, not pets. APA is shortly to launch an education programme through schools, which includes a film about exotic pet keeping, funded by Lush.

*WHAT YOU CAN DO*
Please join the Animal Protection Agency, the only organisation in Europe focused on campaigning against the exotic pet trade. Find out more about how to support their campaigns at Animal Protection Agency

*Lush are supporting the APA in a number of ways. We really want to raise awareness about the serious issues that affect chamleons when they are kept as pets. So, please come along to one of our children's parties, which will be taking place in all our shops during the first week of August.*

*The party will include arts and crafts as well as a scavenger hunt and an opportunity to find out more about these creatures. Bring your friends and children along to these fun packed parties to find out how you can help the chameleons from being treated so badly.*

*Lush will also be handing out leaflets, which will live at the till points, so do grab one! Please come along to our events and visit our shops to collect your leaflet and buy a chameleon bath bomb to show your support, not only the APA, but for individual chameleons in need of our help.*

*lush will donate all the proceeds (minus VAT) for the Chameleon Ballistic to the APA for the month of August.*

Inspired by the chameleon's unique abilities, our new colour-changing Chameleon Bath Ballistic will magically turn the water in your tub from green to pink to purple to blue.

Proceeds from sales of the new Chameleon Bath Ballistic will help to fund further projects, including eradicating reptile markets in the UK, producing an important new report on parrot welfare, and lobbying the government for greater protection of exotic animals in the pet trade. So while you lay back, luxuriate, and enjoy the colour show, you can also feel pretty proud of yourself for doing something to protect chameleons and all reptile-kind!


*Final Thoughts - putting things into perspective *

*In 2010 more than 50% of households in the UK keep pets, fish being the most numerical then cats, with dogs and reptiles the third most common.*

*Reptiles are increasingly the choice of informed and responsible pet keeper as they are more environmentally friendly that cats or dogs, and are less destructive to native wildlife or injurious to people. According the Health Surveillance System reptiles are the second safest pets, just behind tropical fish. *

*To further emphasise the fact that reptiles tend to be chosen by informed and responsible keepers is the fact that according to RSPCA data 90% less prosecutions are bought against reptile keepers than other taxa, such as dogs. Rehoning and unwanted animals are also less problematic, and in 2003 the RSPCA rehomed 25,000 dogs but less than 1,000 reptiles.*

*Between 2004, when Elaine set up her business, and 2008 the number of crickets sold each week in the UK rose from 10,000,000 a week to 20,000,000 a week, indicating that number of reptiles kept as pets had doubled. This number continues to rise each year and today in the UK there as many reptiles kept as pets as there are dogs, with numbers set to increase. *


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## The Rook (Mar 17, 2010)

Idiots :bash:

Never buy from there anyway, probbaly never will now.


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

Chris Newman said:


> This may be of some help, it’s a statement of facts in response to the Lush/APA campaign:


nice one Chris, you thought about supplying Lush with this information? I doubt they really know of the routes of the APA. I mean if they ignore a letter then so be it, no hurt in trying.


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## Kittysan (Jul 21, 2010)

I agree, that info should be fowarded to Lush, it's very informative.
I read this a while ago, even sent them an e-mail. I didn't even get their standard automated response to people who are anti this campaign. =/

I still buy Lush, but there's no way I will buy the Chameleon bath bomb that supports the APA, and if they ask me if I don't want to buy one then I will tell them exactly why and exactly how it's made me feel as a customer.


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## Chris Newman (Apr 23, 2007)

joeyboy said:


> nice one Chris, you thought about supplying Lush with this information? I doubt they really know of the routes of the APA. I mean if they ignore a letter then so be it, no hurt in trying.


I haven’t, the reason is that I do not work in a ‘campaigning’ capacity, I work in advisory role. As I sit on various governmental and non-governmental committees I do not think it is appropriate that I am seen to be ‘campaigning’ in any way shape or form. I am very happy to provide factual information, and what people do with that information is of course up to them. The information contained in the Lush article is inaccurate and frankly very misleading which is why I have provided the information above.


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

Chris Newman said:


> I haven’t, the reason is that I do not work in a ‘campaigning’ capacity, I work in advisory role. As I sit on various governmental and non-governmental committees I do not think it is appropriate that I am seen to be ‘campaigning’ in any way shape or form. I am very happy to provide factual information, and what people do with that information is of course up to them. The information contained in the Lush article is inaccurate and frankly very misleading which is why I have provided the information above.


Aye but LUSH is hardly going to have a read on here, they might not be aware of the inaccuracy of the information the APA has supplied them with. Though to be honest many members from here and already emailed them and simply received a generic animal welfare automated email, so no doubt they can't be bothered to do basic unbiased research.


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## excession (Apr 11, 2009)

Reading between the lines a little I think there is no harm in someone else forwarding the above information.


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

Good info Chris, I agree with everyone above that Lush should have a read..shame that so many people have had the standard automated email - though you wouldn't expect much more. A few years ago I had the luck of bumping into an APA stall at a shopping centre not far from me and they were adamant that they were not against people keeping reptiles as pets and giving them loving homes, and that they were just against the some aspects pet trade itself - using Hamm as an example. So already they're contradicting what they're supposed to stand for. They just campaign on a base of lies and crazy exaggerations in the hope that they can reel in naive people to give them support. The facts are what people need and you'd think most people would like to base their opinions on fact and not spin, but hey that's life.


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## Chris Newman (Apr 23, 2007)

excession said:


> Reading between the lines a little I think there is no harm in someone else forwarding the above information.


I have no objections to anyone forwarding this information to Lush, its just not something that I feel it is appropriate for me to do!


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## DavieB (Mar 15, 2011)

I really want to send APA a jobby in parcel.


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