"Sorry, no photos!" - Asian pet store aversion to photography

RatioTile

RatioTile

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Not only do I take a lot of photos of animals in zoos and in the wild, but I also take a lot of photos in pet and aquarium stores. However, I’ve noticed that in Asia (at least Taiwan and Hong Kong), many (40-70% in some shopping districts) aquarium store shopkeepers tend to prohibit photography of their fish/animals/merchandise. No matter how hard I reason with these folks they won't relent, even if I offer to pay them to let me take pictures. Whereas in America, PetCo and PetSmart and most mom and pop shops don’t mind and even let you hold and take pictures with bunnies, lizards, etc. The stores aren’t doing anything visibly illegal, so why might they be so strict about this? Is this cultural?
 
RatioTile said:
Not only do I take a lot of photos of animals in zoos and in the wild, but I also take a lot of photos in pet and aquarium stores. However, I’ve noticed that in Asia (at least Taiwan and Hong Kong), many (40-70% in some shopping districts) aquarium store shopkeepers tend to prohibit photography of their fish/animals/merchandise. No matter how hard I reason with these folks they won't relent, even if I offer to pay them to let me take pictures. Whereas in America, PetCo and PetSmart and most mom and pop shops don’t mind and even let you hold and take pictures with bunnies, lizards, etc. The stores aren’t doing anything visibly illegal, so why might they be so strict about this? Is this cultural?
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im not sure about Asian stores but the main reason shopkeepers including pet stores prohibit photography is for safety reasons. A photographer could easily take pictures of the animals giving robbers proof of what’s there but more importantly they get the photos of the layout such as where cameras are located etc.
 
Knowing the love of Asians of mobile phones, probably legitimate buyers and animals would be disturbed by lots of people coming only to take selfies. Especially flash can panic some animals to kill themselves.
 
As I understand it Hong Kong and Taiwan are hubs for the illegal pet trade and so there is a lot of traffic of wild caught animals coming from both Asia and more distant regions such as Africa and Latin America.

I've seen a number of documentaries dealing with this topic where film crews have actually obtained footage of this trade going on quite openly. Some of this footage must have subsequently led to increased international pressure for closures and crackdowns by the police.This may go some way to explaining some of the aversion you have encountered.

Also, there is strong rivalries that exist between different pet shops and (again as I've read) there is a particularly strong competition by shops that breed and trade exotic fish , apparently a very popular and lucrative hobby in the region. This is a notorious problem and has led to organized crime with some shops poisoning the stock of rivals and robbing (and even killing to obtain) the highly prized arowana "dragon" fish. If you are filming then perhaps this is interpreted as being done covertly on behalf of their rivals ?

Again , this is just based on what I've read , I actually have no real idea of what is going on in East Asia other than that it is ultimately a really crappy situation for conservation.
 
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Today I got into an argument with fishmongers selling live fish who had an interesting fish for sale today. They weren't willing to reposition the fish at a better angle for me to photograph, and then they got angry I went behind the counter to get the fish from an overhead angle, even though one of them (the eldest) said I could. Some people just really hate photography.
 
Has anyone else here been yelled at for taking pictures of animals in a store, or even a zoo? I’m curious what parts of the world are more against this than others.
 
RatioTile said:
Has anyone else here been yelled at for taking pictures of animals in a store, or even a zoo? I’m curious what parts of the world are more against this than others.
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I have been politely asked to not take photos at my local bird store. The reason in Melbourne that stores prohibit photography (thats the only one that I have encountered that hasn't let me take photos) is theres a surprising amount of theft and break ins at pet stores all over the city, most stores I know have had at least one break in the last three or four years.

I know @Moebelle has an interesting story to tell about the Lincolin Park Zoo.
 
Yoshistar888 said:
I have been politely asked to not take photos at my local bird store. The reason in Melbourne that stores prohibit photography (thats the only one that I have encountered that hasn't let me take photos) is theres a surprising amount of theft and break ins at pet stores all over the city, most stores I know have had at least one break in the last three or four years.

I know @Moebelle has an interesting story to tell about the Lincolin Park Zoo.
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By the way, what kinds of birds are kept at bird stores in Australia? All local ones?
 
RatioTile said:
By the way, what kinds of birds are kept at bird stores in Australia? All local ones?
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In Australia you are allowed to keep exotic (and a good amount of native) birds without a licence yet exotic reptiles are banned and Native Reptiles such as Bearded Dragons require basic wildlife liscences which are easy to get but add extra cost onto your purchase for seemingly no reason.

Exotic birds in stores are declining and I’ve only seen exotic parrots, no exotic waxbills or finches.

Exotic birds that I have seen in Australian Zoos

Java Sparrow (Melbourne)
Buffons Macaw (Melbourne)
Common Ostrich (Weribee)
Blue and Gold Macaw (Melbourne)
Green Winged Macaw (Melbourne)
Black Capped Caique (Melbourne)
White Bellied Caique (Melbourne)
Mute Swan* (Formely at Melbourne)
Red Fronted Macaw (Melbourne)
Crimson Bellied Conure (Melbourne)

Yep Melbourne has 8 exotic birds............. All but one parrots.

To compare I have only been to my local bird shop three times and have only seen exotic birds (excluding canaries) at one other pet store (a sole Indian Ringneck)

So three visits to the local bird shop has.......

Blue and Gold Macaw
Indian Ringneck
Alexandrine Parrot
Green Cheeked Conure
Nanday Conure
Kakariki species
Slate Headed Parakeet
Plum Headed Parakeet
Scaly Breasted Manakin
Peach Faced Lovebird

Due to a lack of photos I cannot remember much else (exotic wise) from the visits but I am certain there were more.

As for natives, when I went they had

Bourkes Parrot
Star Finch
Double Barred Finch
Diamond Firetail
Chestnut Munia
Red Rumped Parrot
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Eclectus Parrot
Budgieragier
Peaceful Dove
King Quail
Superb Parrot
Cockatiel

Once again possibly more
 
I'm quite sure the main reason shop-owners forbit taking photos of their animals will be that they are affraid you could take photos of sick or dead animals and put these on social media.
Activists like PETA just are waiting for such publishity ( and shop-owners of course not ! ).
 
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