Australia’s largest independent pet store and animal welfare advocate, Kellyville Pets, has launched an online petcare, conservation and exploration platform, petopia, which features the world’s first Reptile Masterclass Series, teaching responsible reptile care as the number of reptiles as pets are on the rise.
The petopia online Reptile Masterclass Series includes courses covering Bearded Dragons, Pythons, Turtles and the soon-to-be-released Frogs, teaching prospective and existing reptile carers how to successfully look after these fascinating animals in captivity.
Each Masterclass includes over two hours of engaging, cinematic content and is divided into easily digestible chapters focusing on topics including natural history, anatomy, habitat, general husbandry, diet and conservation.
According to Kellyville Pets General Manager, Richard Sheen, the Reptile Masterclasses were created to teach new reptile parents how to properly look after their new reptile children, a demand recently created in the market due to COVID-19.
“Reptiles have always been a popular pet as they don’t require a large space to live, they leave no mess, they don’t smell and [they] make no noise. But over the past year and a half, we have seen a huge increase in the interest surrounding these unique pets.”
“Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, new reptile keepers couldn’t partake in our in-store reptile courses that we have been operating for the past 25 years. There was also no similar course offered online.”
“As strong advocates of animal welfare and responsible pet care and with so much misinformation out there, we worried that people would not know how to correctly care for their reptiles.“
”So, we created an educational platform, petopia and our online reptile Masterclasses, to deliver the most accurate and up-to-date information on how to look after reptiles and animals, [classes] that could be accessible to pet parents not only in Australia but on a global level,” says Richard.
The petopia masterclasses are professionally shot with cinematic high-definition visuals and are created and presented by Reptile Expert and Conservationist, Ben Dessen.
Ben holds a Bachelor of Natural Science and has dedicated his life to animal welfare and conservation. Ben manages the Reptile Department at Kellyville Pets, having developed and presented the reptile masterclasses for the past 10 years. He is also a resident teacher at the Future Vet Kids Camp, is the sanctuary manager and director of the Zambi Native Wildlife Sanctuary and is a member of Sydney Wildlife Rescue. Ben has also lived in the jungles of Borneo establishing an orangutan orphanage and rehabilitation centre and worked with Bob Irwin and Dr Harry Cooper on various wildlife projects and presentations.
“My vision is to encourage the responsible treatment of animals and nurture the conservationists of tomorrow. I believe these Masterclasses help do exactly that and I’m so excited that I can share my knowledge and passion for reptiles with the world,“ explains Ben.
For further information and to purchase a Reptile Masterclass visit the associated pages and video links below:
