Dog-lover urges Britain to ease quarantine rules
strict quarantine laws be scrapped for rabies-free countries like Bermuda.
Currently people entering Britain have to leave their pets in special kennels for six months to prove the animals are clear of rabies.
But Miss Slater says Bermuda has never seen a rabies case, has strict controls on animals entering the country and should be free of restrictions in Britain.
"Bermuda does not have quarantine and there has never been a case of rabies.
People have to produce vaccination records before they are allowed to bring an animal into Bermuda and the system works well.
"It can cost about $2,000 to keep a cat in kennels for six months and it becomes very profitable for the UK kennel owners,'' said Miss Slater.
Miss Slater, a member of the campaign group Passports for Pets, and her friend Ann Bates recently asked people to contact them if they felt strongly about the British quarantine laws.
About 50 people contacted them, including the Cat Fanciers Association and the Society for the Protection of Animals, and as a result they have written to the British Government's Agriculture Minister Douglas Hogg.
The letter says: "On behalf of a group of responsible pet owners we are requesting that the six month quarantine rule for pet re-entry into Britain be lifted in the case of rabies-free countries.
"Bermuda is such a rabies-free area and has never in its entire history encountered an incidence of rabies.'' The letter asks that Mr. Hogg takes into account Bermuda's existing strict controls on animals entering the country and the fact it is land-locked.
It says it can understand Britain's position on areas where rabies is common or when documentation saying the animal is rabies-free cannot be produced.
"However, we believe that this does not apply to our pets currently resident in Bermuda,'' says the letter.
It adds: "It is cruel and unnecessary to incarcerate our healthy animals who possess correct and complete documentation and have been fully vaccinated against rabies. We hope that our concern is heard by your department.'' GOVERNMENT GVT
