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The
Dangers of Keeping Exotic "Pets" Exotic animals --
lions, tigers, wolves, bears, reptiles, non-human primates -- belong in their
natural habitat and not in the hands of private individuals as
"pets." By their very nature, these animals are wild and
potentially dangerous and, as such, do not adjust well to a captive
environment. Because the majority of
states do not keep accurate records of exotic animals entering their state,
it is impossible to determine exactly how many exotic animals are privately
held as pets. The number is estimated to be quite high. Certainly 6,000 to
7,000 tigers are held by private individuals. The American Veterinary
Medical Association, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have all expressed
opposition to the possession of certain exotic animals by individuals. Exotic animals do not
make good companions. They require special care, housing, diet, and
maintenance that the average person cannot provide. When in the hands of
private individuals the animals suffer due to poor care. They also pose
safety and health risks to their possessors and any person coming into contact
with them. Individuals possessing
exotic animals often attempt to change the nature of the animal rather than
the nature of the care provided. Such tactics include confinement in small
barren enclosures, chaining, beating "into submission," or even
painful mutilations, such as declawing and tooth removal. If and when the
individual realizes he/she can no longer care for an exotic pet, he/she
usually turns to zoos and other institutions such as sanctuaries to relieve
him/her of the responsibility. However, all the zoos and accredited
institutions could not possibly accommodate the number of unwanted exotic
animals. Consequently, the majority of these animals are euthanized,
abandoned, or doomed to live in deplorable conditions. The Exotic
Animal Pet Trade Every year, a variety
of sources provides millions of animals to the exotic pet trade. Animals are
captured from their native habitat and transported to various countries to be
sold as pets. Others are surplus animals from zoos or their offspring. Backyard
breeders also supply exotic animals. It is absurdly easy to
obtain an exotic pet. More than 1000 Internet sites offer to sell, give care
advice, and provide chat rooms where buyers and sellers can haggle over a
price. Helping to facilitate 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 for sale. The sellers of these
animals, however, make no mention of the state or local laws regulating
private possession of exotics, or of the dangers, difficulties, physical and
physiological needs of the animals they peddle. The suffering of the animals
in the hands of unqualified and hapless buyers appears to be of no concern in
the lucrative exotic pet trade. Public Safety
Risk Exotic animals are
inherently dangerous to the individuals who possess them, to their neighbors,
and to the community at large. Across the country, many incidents have been
reported where exotic animals held in private hands attacked humans and other
animals, and escaped from their enclosure and freely roamed the community.
Children and adults have been mauled by tigers, bitten by monkeys, and
asphyxiated by snakes. By their very nature,
exotic animals are dangerous. Although most exotic animals are territorial
and require group interactions, an exotic pet typically is isolated and
spends the majority of his/her day in a small enclosure unable to roam and
express natural behaviors freely. These animals are time bombs waiting to
explode. Monkeys are the most
common non-human primates held by private individuals. At
the age of two, monkeys begin to exhibit unpredictable behavior. Males tend
to become aggressive, and both males and females bite to defend themselves
and to establish dominance. Reported have been many monkey bites that
resulted in serious injury to the individual who possessed the animal, to a
neighbor, or to a stranger on the street. According to the CDC, 52 people
reported being bitten by macaque monkeys between 1990 to 1997. CDC reported,
however, that "owners of pet macaques are often reluctant to report bite
injuries from their pets, even to their medical care providers" for fear
that their animal will be confiscated and possibly killed. Non-domesticated felines,
such as lion, tigers, leopards, and cougars, are commonly held as pets. These
exotic animals are cute and cuddly when they are young but have the potential
to kill or seriously injure people and other animals as they grow. Even a
seemingly friendly and loving animal can attack unsuspecting individuals.
Many large cats have escaped from their cages and terrorized communities.
Several of these incidents have resulted in either serious injury to the
persons who came in contact with the animal, or the death of the animal, or
both. Reptiles, including all types of snakes
and lizards, pose safety risks to humans as well. Many incidents have been
reported of escapes, strangulations, and bites from pet reptiles across the
country. Snakes are the most common "pet" reptiles -- about 3% of
U.S. households possess 7.3 million pet reptiles -- and have the potential to
inflict serious injury through a bite or constriction. According to the
University of Florida, more than 7,000 venomous snake bites are reported
annually in the United States (it is uncertain how many of these snakes are
pets), 15 of which result in death. Moreover, there have been several
reported incidences involving strangulation by snakes. For example, on August
28, 1999, in Centralia, IL, a 3 year-old-boy was strangled to death by the
family's pet python. The parents were charged with child endangerment and
unlawful possession of a dangerous animal. Human Health
Risk Exotic animals pose
serious health risks to humans. Many exotic animals are carriers of zoonotic
diseases, such as Herpes B, Monkey Pox, and Salmonellosis, all of which are
communicable to humans. Herpes B-virus: 80 to 90 percent of all
macaque monkeys are infected with Herpes B-virus or Simian B, a virus that is
harmless to monkeys but often fatal in humans. Monkeys shed the virus
intermittently in saliva or genital secretions, which generally occurs when
the monkey is ill, under stress, or during breeding season. At any given
time, about 2% of infected macaque monkeys are shedding the virus. A person
who is bitten, scratched, sneezed or spit on while shedding occurs runs the
risk of contracting the disease. Monkeys rarely show any signs or symptoms of
shedding, making it nearly impossible to know when one is at risk. Since 1992, there have
been only 24 clearly documented cases of human infection of the virus; 19 of
those infected died. According to the CDC, the reason for "such an
apparently low rate of transmission may include infrequent B virus shedding
by macaques, cross-reactive immunity against B virus stimulated by herpes
simplex virus infection, and undetected asymptomatic infection."
However, the frequency of Herpes B infection in humans has never been
adequately studied and thus it is difficult to quantify how many people are
actually infected with the virus. Persons who possess or work with infected
monkeys are presumed to be in constant peril of potentially contracting the
virus. Bites from non-human
primates can cause severe lacerations. Wounds may become infected, with the
potential to reach the bone and cause permanent deformity. The frequency of
bites remains a mystery. Although it is widely acknowledged that non-human
primate bites are some of the worst animal bites, little research regarding
them exists. Monkeys have also been
known to transmit the Ebola virus, monkey pox, and other deadly illnesses. Salmonellosis: Probably 90% of all reptiles
carry and shed salmonella in their feces. Iguanas, snakes, lizards, and
turtles are common carriers of the bacterium. Reptiles that carry salmonella
do not show any symptoms, thus there is no simple way to tell which reptiles
play host to the microbe and which do not, because even those that have it do
not constantly shed the bacterium. Salmonellosis
associated with exotic pets has been described as one of the most important
public health diseases affecting more people and animals than any other
single disease. The CDC estimates that 93,000 salmonella cases caused by
exposure to reptiles are reported each year in the United States. Salmonella infection is
caused when individuals eat after failing to wash their hands properly after
handling a reptile or objects the reptile contaminated (this can be either
indirect or direct contact with infected reptiles). Salmonella bacteria do
not make the animal sick, but in people can cause serious cases of severe
diarrhea (with or without blood), headache, malaise, nausea, fever, vomiting,
abdominal cramps, and even death -- especially in young children, the
elderly, and those with immune-compromised systems. In addition, salmonella
infection can result in sepsis and meningitis (particularly in children) as
well as invade the intestinal mucosa and enter the bloodstream causing
septicemia and death. In March 1999, the CDC
contacted every state health department to determine whether state
regulations existed for sale of reptiles and distribution of information
about contracting salmonella from reptiles. Forty-eight states responded -- 3
(CA, CT, MI) had regulations requiring pet stores to provide information
about salmonella to persons purchasing a turtle. Two states (KS, MD) require
salmonella information to be provided to persons purchasing any reptile, and
3 states (AZ, MN, WY) prohibit reptiles in day care centers and
long-term-care facilities. During 1996-1998, 16
different state health departments reported to the CDC salmonella infections
in persons who had direct or indirect contact with pet reptiles, and in
1994-1995, 13 different state health departments reported salmonella
infections. The CDC recommends that children, people with compromised immune
systems, and the elderly should avoid all contact with reptiles and not
possess them as pets. Laws Governing
Private Possession of Exotic Animals The sale and possession
of exotic animals is regulated by a patchwork of federal, state and local
laws that generally vary by community and by animal. Individuals possessing
exotic animals must be in compliance with all federal laws as well as any
state, city, and county laws. Federal Laws: Three federal laws regulate
exotic animals -- the Endangered Species Act, the Public Health Service Act,
and the Lacey Act. However, these laws primarily regulate the importation of
exotic animals into the United States and not private possession. Under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) it is illegal to possess, sell, or buy an endangered
species regardless to whether it's over the Internet or not. The ESA does not
regulate private possession, it merely allows the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service (USFWS) to prosecute individuals who illegally possess endangered
species. It should be noted that "generic" tigers (subspecies that
have been interbred) are not considered endangered and, as such, can be
legally bred and possessed. The Public Health
Services Act prohibits the importation of non-human primates and their
offspring into the United States after October 1975 for any use other than
scientific, educational or exhibition purposes. However, unless it can be
proved that the non-human primate in question or his/her ancestors entered
the country after October 1975, the Act is unenforceable. Most individuals
are unaware of their animal's heritage and it is next to impossible to trace
the animal's origin. The Lacey Act allows
the U.S. government to prosecute persons in possession of an animal illegally
obtained in a foreign country or another state. Again, this Act does not
regulate private possession, it merely allows the USFWS to prosecute
individuals who have illegally obtained exotic animals. State Laws: The state governments possess
the authority to regulate exotic animals privately held. Laws vary from state
to state on the type of regulation imposed and the specific animals
regulated. Twelve states (AK, CA, CO, GA, HI, MA, NH, NM, TN, UT, VT, WY) ban
private possession of exotic animals (i.e. they prohibit possession of at
least large cats, wolves, bears, non-human primates, and dangerous reptiles);
7 states (CT, FL, IL, MD, MI, NE, VA) have a partial ban (i.e. they prohibit
possession of some exotic animals but not all); 15 states (AZ, DE, IN, ME,
MS, MT, NJ, NY, ND, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX) require a license or permit to
possess exotic animals; and while the remaining states neither prohibit nor
require a license, they may require some information from the possessor
(veterinarian certificate, certification that animal was legally acquired,
etc.). Local Laws: Many cities and counties have
adopted ordinances that are more stringent than the state law. Generally, the
City or County Council have determined that possession of certain exotic
species poses a serious threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the
residents of the community as a result of a recent attack in the area, an
escape, or by the virtue of the animals' physical attributes and natural
behavior and, as such, adopts an ordinance regulating or banning private
possession. Some people often
sidestep existing laws or bans by becoming licensed breeders or exhibitors
under the USDA and/or by having their property rezoned. In addition,
individuals often move out of city limits or to a new state once a
restriction or ban is imposed. What to Do You can do several
things to help stop private possession of exotic animals:
What Government
Agencies and Public Officials Are Saying
(Revised 07/25/01)
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