Speaking Out Against the Reptile Expo
On June 28, 2026, we were on site for the unfortunate return of the Reptile Expo, hosted by the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Manchester.
NHARL held a peaceful protest in the public park adjacent to the hotel, facing the entrance of the expo. Where we stood, we could be seen by expo staff, vendors, and people waiting in line for tickets.
We attracted a significant amount of attention, with staff and vendors coming out to get a closer look and take our picture.
The cruelty of reptile shows
Reptile shows exploit reptiles and amphibians for profit, disregarding animal welfare, public health, and conservation concerns.
These expos pack convention centers with vendors who confine snakes, lizards, tortoises, frogs, and other animals in tiny containers — treating them as products rather than living beings.
Uninformed Buyers, Unintended Cruelty
A big concern with reptile shows is how how easily reptiles are sold to people with little understanding of their complex needs.
We saw people walking out with snakes tucked inside their sweatshirts — not even in containers.
A Terrible Lesson for Children
Animals fascinate us, and that fascination breeds a desire to possess them. This is why we have zoos, aquariums, and a thriving pet trade.
But our impulse to possess animals robs them of whatever life they were meant to live — whether in a tropical forest, an arid desert, or on a coral reef — among their own kind.
Instead, they end up confined to a tank in the corner of a kid’s bedroom.
A parent who takes their child to a Reptile Expo teaches them, without meaning to, that any creature — however wild, however far from home — is theirs for the buying.
Imagine spending your entire life alone in a tank — unable to fully stretch your limbs, go for a walk, or engage in other natural behaviors.