[Gpdd] MISC G.Force

[Penny Charlesworth]

I haven't seen the movie so I cannot comment on its contents but I am very concerned about the impact that it will have on the impressionable children who will see it and want guinea pigs without a thought as to their care.

I have seen a trailer which shows piggies travelling around in balls so I can imagine unscrupulous pet stores selling large hamster balls with the intention of them being used for piggies, resulting in nasty injuries.

Who remembers the Ninja Turtles films, when every child wanted to own a "turtle"? In England, tiny terrapins were being sold in pet shops everywhere. The owners probably did not realise how large these terrapins would grow or how unsuitable they were as pets. Consequently many of them were discarded and my local animal rescue centre has dozens of them filling a large pond in their grounds. They are unlikely ever to be rehomed and cost the centre a lot to maintain as our climate is unsuitable for them to winter outside and they have to be kept in a heated pool during the coldest months. No-one enjoys cleaning out the pond as it gets very smelly, the terrapins can bite and they can carry salmonella. The producers of those films have a lot to answer for.

I have printed out a lot of the fliers that GuineaLynx have designed, explaining the difference between the G Force piggies and real ones. These are on display in Reception at the centre and at my local petshop ( which I patronise for the very reason that it does not sell pets ). My son maintains the website for the rescue and he has asked to be allowed to add a piece about the movie in the hope of preventing an influx of piggies in a few months time.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.