WREXHAM Council is among the growing list of Welsh local authorities to act on giving pets as prizes.

So far, five local authorities in the country have acted – with the Vale of Glamorgan the most recent to impose a ban.

It comes as the RSPCA is calling for an end to giving away pets as a prize such as goldfish at funfairs with concerns that the fish will likely be suffering from shock and gasping for oxygen in unsuitable plastic bags, with the animal welfare charity branding the practice as ‘outdated’.

Since 2015, the RSPCA has received 147 calls from across England and Wales relating to goldfish and other aquatic animals being given as prizes – with a number of these calls occurring in the last two years.

There is no shortage of support on the issue from members of the public as the RSPCA revealed that last year over 9,000 supporters of the charity called upon their local authority to make a change and stop this practice from happening on their land.

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RSPCA Cymru’s public affairs manager, Chris O’Brien, said: “With Covid restrictions now completely eased in Wales, there's a real risk that the giving of goldfish as prizes will return in big numbers as funfairs and festivals resume. 

“We’re delighted that nearly a quarter of local authorities in Wales have banned the practice on their land already - but RSPCA Cymru will keep campaigning until this practice is consigned to the history books.

"Animal ownership is a big responsibility - and goldfish shouldn't be acquired via a spur-of-the-moment game. Goldfish are easily stressed and very often fish that are won as prizes suffer miserably from shock, oxygen starvation or die from changes in water temperature, and many may die before their new owners can even get them home.

“They're misunderstood pets - as they can make great companions; but can be challenging to look after and new owners must do their research before they acquire the fish, not afterwards. When bringing a fish home for the first time, it’s important to set the tank up at least two weeks in advance to make sure it’s all running smoothly, and this just isn’t possible for someone who’s won a fish without being prepared for it.”

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Chris added: “There’s huge momentum behind the RSPCA campaign - last year thousands of people supported us in this campaign and we're over the moon to see nearly a quarter of local authorities in Wales already pass the RSPCA's notice of motion on this issue.

“With new councillors in place across Wales following May’s election, we hope many more will join them to make our counties even safer places for animals to live. We hope this summer our supporters will help us spread the message further and encourage local authorities to ban the giving of pets as prizes on their land.

“But ultimately, we need to see action nationally too. The Welsh Government suggested in 2019 they'd be keen to look at this issue - and we hope the momentum behind local bans on council land will demonstrate the need for a nationwide ban too, on all land."