Decline in classroom pet leaves the animals extinct

Parents no longer have to worry about keeping the hamster alive during school holidays as the traditional classroom pet is now extinct.

A huge 91 per cent of teachers say they no longer have a pet, with children now given responsibility for cyberpets, digital cameras and teddy bears instead.

Teachers find it requires too much effort to have a class pet, knowing that ultimately, the responsibility for looking after it would fall on them.

Despite this, parents and teachers do believe that having a pet in class is good for showing children how to be responsible and teach valuable life lessons.

Head of Corporate Responsibility at Tesco who carried out the research, Josh Hardie said: “As schools are presented with wider resources, there are very different items that children can take responsibility for and learn from instead of a living animal. We’ve seen a real uplift in demand for products such as lifelike Bee-Bots which children can look after without worrying about visiting the pet shop for a last minute replacement; or seeds packs which children can take home and care for in a similar way.”