Animal welfare aspects in the trade of (exotic) mammals on German animal fairs and pet markets

Several hundred animal fairs and pet markets annually take place in Germany . As part of the EXOPET-I-Study, we visited 17 animal fairs in 2016 to gain insight into the traded (exotic) mammal species. Furthermore, we assessed whether the accommodation of the mammals was compliant with the ‘Guidelines for Animal Fairs under Animal Welfare Aspects’ (Guidelines for Animal Fairs) issued by the Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture in 2006. At the visited fairs, 25 mammal species were offered for sale. Among them were rarely kept (exotic) mammals such as forest African dormouse (Graphiurus murinus) or grey shorttailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica). At all fairs, we found animal welfare problems concerning feed and water supply, sufficiently sized cages, adequate litter, and retreat possibility. At only one animal fair, water was freely available for each animal in all cages. Adequate feed was missing in over 20 % of the cages at nine animal fairs. At 11 animal fairs, the required cage size did not comply with the Guidelines for Animal Fairs in over 60 % of the cages. Sturdy retreat possibilities were missing in over 60 % of the cages at 16 animal fairs. The Guidelines for Animal Fairs should be implemented more stringently at animal fairs to guarantee standardized procedures throughout Germany and improve animal welfare. A main objective here is to improve on-site quality control by competent authorities and by experts (e.g. specialized veterinarians) from veterinary inspection offices assisting the authorities during on-site welfare inspections.