Exotic Animals As Pets
Exotic Animals As Pets
Exotic Animals As Pets
The exotic pet trade is big business. Selling protected wildlife in stores, auctions, or on
the Internet is one of the largest sources of criminal earnings, behind only arms smuggling
and drug trafficking. But the animals pay the price. Many dont survive the journey from
their homes, and those who do survive often suffer in captivity and die prematurely from
malnutrition, an unnatural and uncomfortable environment, loneliness, and the
overwhelming stress of confinement.
guardians 3-year-old grandson. A lion killed several dogs and trapped a child in his room,
and a Bengal tiger tore off the arm of a 4-year-old boy.
Since 2000, at least four people have been mauled to death by wolf hybridsthe offspring
of wolves and domesticated dogs. One veterinarian and animal behaviorist says that
people who breed these animals and sell them as pets are playing Russian roulette. Its a
gross misrepresentation to sell these animals as pets.
Disease Threat
Seventy-five percent of all new infectious diseases originate from nonhuman animals.
According to one Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officer, [T]here are
all kinds of exotic species that may be unknown vectors of human disease.
The monkeypox outbreak that affected dozens of people in the Midwest in 2003 was traced
to a Gambian rat from Africa. The animal had been housed with prairie dogs in an Illinois
animal dealers shed. Prairie dogs also have been known to carry the plague and tularemia.
The herpes B virus, which is nearly 70 percent fatal to humans, can be transferred from
macaques to humans. Human contact with reptiles and other exotic animals accounts for
70,000 cases of salmonellosis each year. Parrots can transfer psittacosis, which can be
deadly to humans.
The Humane Society of the United States strongly opposes keeping wild animals as pets.
This principle applies to both native and nonnative species, whether caught in the wild or
bred in captivity. The overwhelming majority of people who obtain these animals are
unable to provide the care they require.