Animal rescues seeing more people give away pets due to financial struggles

A Langley-based rescue has taken in 15 snakes in recent days, as more people struggle with the cost of caring for their exotic pets.

In the greenhouse of his Langley, B.C.-based reptile rescue, Mike Hopcraft tucks away a large group of snakes into their new home.

Thirteen of them, to be exact, all ball pythons brought in by one person earlier this week.

“With the price of everything going up, they can’t afford to take care of the snakes anymore,” the owner and operator of Wild Education told CTV News.

“He wasn’t quite feeding them as much as he should have been feeding them, and he realized that, and just wanted them to go somewhere where they get some help and get fattened back up again,” Hopcraft said.

Hopcraft says Wild Education took in 153 animals last year, and so far in 2025, it has brought in 32, the majority of which were given away for financial reasons.

“Everything is getting more expensive now, so it is getting more difficult for everyone who is looking after their animals,” he said.

Hopcraft isn’t the only one noticing the trend. The B.C. SPCA says nearly 30 per cent of the animals coming into its care are for cost-related reasons.

“As we see things like tariffs coming on board, and the cost of pet food likely to increase, the cost of pet supplies increasing, we are seeing more and more families making really difficult decisions,” said Adrienne McBride, the SPCA’s senior director of animal flow.

Hopcraft says some people are waiting too long to turn over their pets, ultimately jeopardizing their health.

“For a lot of people, it’s a pride thing,” he said. “They don’t want to admit that they’ve messed up and waited too long, and the snake is in dire need of help now … If you do the right thing and bring the snake in, we can get it the help it needs, but a lot of the time we get animals in where it’s too late.”

Hopcraft is also encouraging people to do their research on the cost of caring for a reptile before bringing one into their home.

“Everyone’s kind of got to work together to make sure we’re doing the right thing for the animals,” he said.

For information on how to turn over your animal, adopt one, or make a donation, you can visit the Wild Education website.