Wild Lynx; Not the Ideal Pet
Exotic
animals such as lions, tigers, wolves, bears, reptiles (poisonous snakes &
such), and non-human primates such as monkeys or baboons, belong in their
natural habitat and not in the hands of private individuals as “pets.” By their very nature, these animals are wild and possibly
dangerous and, per se; do not modify their behavior well in a captive
environment. In short, they like humans
were born to be free.
Such animals rarely if ever make
good companions, regardless of how “cute” you think they look as infants. They
require special attention & care, not to mention special housing, diet, and
maintenance that the average individual can seldom provide; it’s typically the
case when “exotics” are placed in the hands of private individuals such animals
will ultimately suffer (mentally & physically) due to inappropriate care. Further
they frequently pose safety and health risks to their owners / possessors and
any other person that might, for whatever reason, come into contact with them.
Each year, a variety of
sources provides millions of animals to the exotic pet market. It’s not unusual
for exotic animals to be captured from their native habitat and transported to
various countries to be sold as pets. Yet another source is too often simply surplus
animals from zoos or the offspring of such animals. “Backyard” breeders are another
source for the exotic animal trade.
The fact
of the matter is that it’s ridiculously easy to purchase exotic pets. More than
1000 Internet sites offer to sell, provide care advice, or simply run chat
rooms where buyers and sellers can haggle over a price. One organization that
facilitates the exotic pet trade is the Animal
Finders’ Guide, which carries ads from dealers, private parties, breeders,
ranchers, and zoos offering large cats, monkeys, and other exotic animals available
for purchase.
Such promoters, however, make no
mention of federal, state, or local laws regulating private ownership of
exotics, much less the dangers, difficulties, or the physical and physiological
needs of the animal(s) that’s being offered. All indications suggest that the
suffering of the animals that are poised to fall into the hands of unqualified or
the unfortunate buyer appears to be of no concern in the lucrative exotic pet
trade.
You should know however
that the sale and possession of exotic animals is regulated by a patchwork of
federal, state and local laws that vary by community and by animal. All individuals
possessing exotic animals are required by such regulations to be in compliance
with all federal, state, county, and city laws.
Only three
federal laws regulate exotic animals — the Endangered Species Act, the Public
Health Service Act, and the Lacey Act. These
laws primarily regulate the importation of exotic animals into the U. S. and do
not apply to private possession.
State governments possess the
authority to regulate exotic animals that are privately held. But laws vary
from state to state on the type of regulation imposed and the specific animal
that’s regulated. Thirteen states (AK, CA, CO, GA, HI, MA, NH, NJ, NM, TN, UT,
VT, WY) ban private possession of exotic animals (such as large undomesticated cats,
wolves, bears, non-human primates, and dangerous reptiles); seven states (CT,
FL, IL, MD, MI, NE, VA) have a partial ban (they prohibit possession of some
exotic animals but not all); fourteen states (AZ, DE, IN, ME, MS, MT, NY, ND,
OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX) require the owner to obtain a license or permit to possess exotic
animals. Sadly, by my count, only 34 of
50 U S States have some type of regulations / limits in place.
Many U S cities and counties
have adopted ordinances that are more stringent than state laws. Generally, the
City or County Councils have determined that possession of certain exotic
species poses a serious threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the
residents of the community; however, far too often this action is the result of
a recent attack in the area by an escaped exotic “pet”.
Trouble
is government regulation is not enough; so before you decide to take that
route, consider this: Exotic animals also pose serious health risks to humans.
Many exotic animals are carriers of zoonotic diseases (diseases transmitted
from animals to humans), such as Herpes B, Monkey Pox, and Salmonellosis.
Approximately 80 to 90 percent of
all macaque monkeys are infected with the Herpes B virus or Simian B, a virus that is harmless to monkeys
but often fatal in humans. Any person who is
bitten, scratched, sneezed or spit on runs the risk of contracting this deadly
disease.
It’s estimated that 90%
of all reptiles carry and shed salmonella in their feces. Iguanas, snakes,
lizards, and turtles are the most common carriers of this wicked bacterium.
Reptiles that carry salmonella do not necessarily show symptoms, so there is not
a simple way to tell which reptiles play host to the microbe and which do not; those
that do have it do not constantly shed the bacterium. Salmonellosis, associated with exotic pets is
known to affect more people and animals than any other single disease; there
are 93,000 cases per year in the USA alone. If it doesn’t kill you it will cause (in
people, not the “pet”) severe cases of diarrhea, headache, nausea, fever,
vomiting, and abdominal cramps especially in young children and elderly folk.
In
summation, if you think it would be “cool” to have a pet tiger, monkey, timber
rattler, etc.; think again, as has been said many times, such animals were born to roam free.
Sources:
http://www.tnprc.tulane.edu/public_types.html http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?p=187&more=1 http://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/lynix.html http://heatedpetsbeds.com/
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