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Hello
from Euroland. Just
a few words about the Hamm show (properly called Terraristika) This
year it was held over two days – the 9th and 20th
March. Su and I only attended the first day so I am yet to find out how
the second one went. It rained – of course. This seems to be the norm
for spider and reptile shows doesn’t it?
As usual it did not take very long for the queue to form. This is the largest exhibition of its kind that I have ever attended, but unlike the BTS show it also entertains reptiles and insects. Want a Gaboon Viper? This is the place to get it. There is a special room for venomous animals and one only has to walk in to hear the rattlers giving it their best. I saw a beautiful Ugandan viper and an array of snakes from around the world.
To
give an idea of the size of the venue, take a look at the photograph of
the cork bark stand. It was huge and one of several of its kind. I reckon
such traders have to be logistics experts! Sadly our good friend and BTS stalwart, Ray Gabriel could not attend this time around so we flew the flag for the BTS alone. Here we are ready to enlist new members and tell them about the greatest ‘spiders only’ show on earth. Try telling the locals here, where Wednesbury is Ray!
If ever you want to visit this show, please contact us and we will give you directions and any other information you require. The rules are very strict if you wish to trade. You may not put one spider container on top of another – you may not have air holes around the sides of the container. You may not show spiders under a certain table height. You may not show the same animal over two days. You must have documentation for CITES animals. The list goes on so be prepared for inspections from officials at any time.
The
show is always sold out even though there are several large areas utilised.
The one above is a typical example of using every area! All
in all the show was good fun as one might expect. Terraristika has a
superb reputation and people travel by the coach-load (literally) from far
and wide just to be here. There are hundreds of stalls selling everything
from animals, books, plants and accessories. There are food stalls, rest
areas and excellent toilet facilities. Entrance this time around was €7,
which is between four and five pounds. Just a word on the Euro. It did not
escape my notice that prices seemed to have risen since the introduction
of the Euro here. There is a tendency to round prices up because it is
easier than giving change in cents all the time. I could not let you go without seeing what the show is like when the public start piling in. This was perhaps a third of the size of the show in 2001 and if you don’t like crowds then this isn’t the place for you.
As they say on the news “this is Carl Portman, reporting for the BTS in Euroland” |
