SPCA charges against Reptile Guy dropped
Posted October 25, 2018 8:32 pm.
Last Updated October 26, 2018 11:27 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Charges of animal cruelty against the man otherwise known as the “Reptile Guy” in the Fraser Valley have been dropped.
The three charges issued by the SPCA came about after a video on Facebook showed Michael Hopcraft performing an enema on a python this past summer.
His lawyer Jason Tarnow believes the B.C. SPCA went too far.
RELATED: ‘Charges are a stretch’: The Reptile Guy’s lawyer speaks out against SPCA
“It’s an overreach – it’s unnecessary. What they did to him, it’s caused him so much difficulty,” he says. “This is a guy in his thirties just trying to provide for his family.”
Hopcraft made a name for himself rescuing and creating education programs around reptiles, but his lawyer says the charges have destroyed his livelihood.
“He was doing so much good for the community and these animals that come his way,” he says. “It’s just a shame that he’s been treated this way, and I hope that his reputation can be repaired.”
Tarnow says the charges against Hopcraft resulted in an eviction from his facility and even forced him to give away many of his reptiles. His business had to be downsized following the charges. Now he’s struggling to get by.
Back in 2015, the SPCA seized animals from Hopcraft, but they were returned without charges.
RELATED: ‘The Reptile Guy’ charged with animal cruelty
Marcie Moriarty of the SPCA says she can’t understand why the charges won’t be heard in court, and suspects the procedure may have caused pain to the animal.
