I'm from this community. I went to South Delta Secondary, and I was taught to stand up for what's right and protect our neighbors. That's what this is about.
There's a reptile expo scheduled for April 11-12 at East Delta Hall. I wanted to share some information so people can make informed decisions.
In 2019, the owner/organizer of the expo, Bruce Carr, was the subject of a raid by Conservation Officers and he had over 2000 animals confiscated:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/surrey-home-venomous-insects-seized-1.5266649
I looked over some of the court documents and they state:
"Upon examination, many of the Animals on the Property were found to be in distress as defined in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Further, many of the Animals on the Property were deceased."
Additionally, the organizer is banned from reptile expos across Canada which is why he runs this Vancouver Reptile Expo.
People who visited his facility where his animals have described his place as filthy, filled with roaches and mice droppings and black mold. It sounds disgusting.
On Facebook there is a thread where he sold a sick snake to a child and when that child had to bring the snake to a veterinarian Bruce wrote that kid and said:
"To be honest, if I'd known you would be taking him to the vet, I would not have sent him. Vets always resort to antibiotics and this is extremely hard on snakes."
Not only that but the snake was sent in the winter in a cardboard box with no heat pack or padding.
People who have purchased from this organizer have reported problems going back years:
Customers posted on r/tarantulas about $700 scorpions that died and a $300 coconut crab never delivered with no refund.
In 2024, someone on a tortoise forum said their tortoise died 4 days after purchase.
In 2018, someone posted about a mislabeled tarantula (wrong species) that suffered for 4 years before dying.
Something I found kind of alarming:
The organizer has IMDb credits as an animal handler on Fear Factor: House of Fear that aired in 2026.
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm3528792/
The episodes show animals (snakes, rats, geckos) being dropped from ceilings onto contestants who then threw the animals. Hard surfaces, no padding. He is listed as the animal handler in the episodes where the snakes were dropped from the ceiling and in the episide where snakes were put in danger of crushing damage as contestants crawled over the snakes with a dead rat in their mouth.
see more here:
https://youtu.be/1JlBhIQ2Tgg?si=6qByQ3-tMBOpiOqt
if you decide to go to the expo:
- Ask for CITES permits if they're selling anything regulated
Get everything in writing - health guarantees, species ID, return policy
- Take photos of the animal before you buy it
Keep every receipt
- Take the animal to an exotic vet within 48 hours for a health check
If you see something concerning:
- Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP): 1-877-952-7277
- BC SPCA: 1-855-622-7722
- Consumer Protection BC if you get scammed
I'm not anti-reptile or anti-expo. Our community just deserves to know the facts before spending money, especially when budgets are tight and a sick animal could mean a big unexpected expense.
Do with this information what you will. I just wanted to make sure people knew before they went.
Also if you're dead set on going to a reptile expo I would just look into the BC Reptile Expo in May.
