Snake show sparks COVID-19 questions. Animal rights group battles SC Shriners
A Columbia-area Shriners group is depending on snakes to slow the financial strain it has suffered since COVID-19 first arrived in South Carolina four months ago.
But an animal welfare organization says the coronavirus is exactly why Jamil Shrine Temple should not allow a Repticon snake show to take place this weekend — or ever again.
Allowing a crowd of people inside Jamil’s exposition hall increases chances COVID-19 could spread from one person to another, while also exposing visitors to other wildlife diseases carried by snakes and turtles, according to World Animal Protection, an international animal welfare group whose United States headquarters is in New York. The group opposes Repticon shows, saying they are cruel to animals.
“No amount of hand-sanitizer or social distancing is going to make reptile expos safe for humans and animals,’’ the organization’s Ben Williamson said in a news release. “It’s time the Jamil Temple cut its ties with this risky business once and for all.’’
Jamil building manager Ed Simpson, who said measures are being put in place to protect people from COVID-19, said the charitable organization isn’t interested in ending its relationship with Repticon.
Repticon shows are among the biggest draws to Jamil’s St. Andrews exposition hall every year, behind only gun shows, he said. Repticon shows feature thousands of snakes for sale. Vendors typically set up tables with containers of snakes that people can look at, and in some cases touch or hold.
On a good weekend, a snake show like Repticon can bring in $15,000, Simpson said. And this year, revenues from the show are even more important.
The Jamil temple, which in a normal year has events every weekend, hasn’t had an event at its facilities in months because the coronavirus spread had shut down much of the state’s economy, Simpson said.
“Since March 13, we have not had a rental because we closed and were waiting on things to open back up,’’ Simpson said. “I called the government and asked if we could open up, and they said ‘yes.’
“We have to have some sort of income. That’s the only way we keep the lights on. It’s huge. We just can’t stay closed forever.’’
The Repticon show is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Jamil temple.
In the past two months, Gov. Henry McMaster has slowly reopened segments of the state’s economy because of the economic hardship people were suffering. But not all businesses and events are allowed, including spectator sports. Nothing in McMaster’s executive orders explicitly prohibits an event like Repticon, but the governor has discouraged large gatherings, a spokesman said Thursday.
The Jamil Shrine supports 22 hospitals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The group is part of a network of Shrine clubs that provide money for charity.
Simpson said both the temple and Repticon’s organizers are taking the coronavirus threats seriously, putting in place measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Repticon show, which can draw 5,000 people in a day, is requiring all visitors to wear masks inside this weekend and it has spaced out tables from which vendors sell snakes, Simpson and Repticon officials said Thursday.
Repticon also will give visitors only a two hour window to visit and buy reptiles, meaning there should not be more than 300 to 400 people inside at a time, Simpson said. Once the two hours is up, Repticon will clear the building to allow another group to come in.
In the past, people could buy a ticket in the morning and stay inside the exposition hall for the entire day.
Repticon officials will not provide educational areas or food concession booths, nor will they provide seating or areas “in which to congregate,’’ the organization’s Billy Healy said in an email Thursday to The State.
Healy said World Animal Protection’s call for Jamil to end its relationship with Repticon is part of a larger agenda the group has. He said the group has a history of “harassing’’ events that don’t conform to its goals.
“It is deplorable that they are seeking to exploit this crisis to promote their political agenda,’’ Healy’s email said.
Williamson didn’t dispute the organization’s opposition to reptile sales shows because it thinks they are cruel. But he said the coronavirus threat makes them even less appealing.
In addition to animal welfare, Repticon’s Columbia show has been criticized for allowing the sale of venomous snakes in a state with limited restrictions on such transactions.
Williamson also noted that while reptiles aren’t known to carry coronavirus that could spread to people — the original carrier in China is believed to be a bat — snakes, turtles and other reptiles can carry an array of bacteria that can sicken people, including salmonella.
“We have to prepare for the next pandemic and what could cause the next outbreak,’’ he said.
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 6:47 PM.
