Exotic animal rescue owner picks up the pieces as tik-tok and the illegal pet trade promote unsuitable pets

Bailey Lister, from Blackpool, opened Hugo’s Animal Sanctuary in 2018 after he rescued a rat by hiding him in his school bag as a teenager. Now, he cares for a range of weird and wonderful animals - including monkeys, snakes and porcupines.

But Bailey warns that many of the more exotic animals don't make good pets, and that he's seen a rise in people taking on unusual breeds that they've seen on Tik-Tok without doing their research.

Exotic pet ‘not like the one on Tik-Tok’

Currently based at Ridgeway Farm, on Peel Road, Bailey explains: “Social media has a lot to answer for. One skunk was brought in by a mum who said it wasn’t like the one they’d seen on Tik-Tok.” The skunk, called Flower, is ‘more your typical skunk’ - likes to be left alone, and tends to snatch food.

Animal-mad Bailey warns that while some exotic animals can appear cuddly and cute in Instagram photos, they are rarely like that in reality. He adds: “People will do anything for that extra like, even if means a marmoset in on the cover they don’t care as long as they get that extra like.”

Cute animals make ‘big money’ for illegal pet trade

While the small rescue shelter do offer rehoming for more conventional pets, like cats and rabbits, they do not rehome the quirkier animals - unless it’s to a zoo or educational facility that knows how to care for them properly.

He adds: “Most of the [exotic] animals come via the illegal pet trade. [For example] they make big money by selling marmosets because when they are born they look cute and fluffy. But then they grow into sex-crazed teenagers and they want to rip your face off.”

‘They want to rip your face off’

The marmosets, and barn owls, and other unusual animals, are cared for at Hugo’s, but Bailey adds that they are also ‘respected’ - meaning they are kept in environments suitable for the breed, and in some cases, not interrupted by humans.

To learn more about Hugo’s Animal Sanctuary, including their open days, educational and fundraising events, visit https://www.facebook.com/smallanimalrescueBPL

The video above is a short clip taken from a forthcoming episode of Unconventional Brits, which airs weekly on Shots! TV - the official Freeview channel of the Blackpool Gazette. The show celebrates the quirkier side of British life and culture. Watch the full series here https://www.shotstv.com/playlist/5931/unconventional-brits