AN expert in exotic animals has backed an RSPCA vet's decision to remove reptiles from a shed, a court has heard.
Peter Heathcote, the chief executive of the Reptile Trust, a national charity, told Bishop Auckland magistrates that he shared Hannah Bold's concerns about the conditions in which the animals were being kept at Low Grange Farm, Wingate, County Durham.
Miss Bold yesterday defended her decision to remove the animals, which included crocodiles, alligators, pythons and terrapins.
Colin Shaw, from Market Crescent, Wingate, is facing 27 charges of causing unnecessary suffering to the creatures. He has pleaded not guilty.
Mr Heathcote assisted Miss Bold in the examination and removal of the animals in October 2001 as part of an RSPCA operation.
He said: "I was very concerned about the condition of the animals on the day. It certainly appeared to me that that conditions since my last visit had deteriorated substantially.''
The case continues.
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