Exotic animals don't make good companions

You can buy them at pet shops, over the Internet, through newspaper ads, or even from a neighbor. They're not the same old cat or dog — or rabbit or guinea pig.

What are they? Agoutis, chameleons, coatimundis, hedgehogs, iguanas, marmosets, monkeys (or even chimpanzees), prairie dogs, pythons, servals, sugar gliders, wallabies, or the ever popular tigers and lions. And while these animals seem quite a varied group, they all share one critical trait: They're wild. Species from outside the United States often may be called "exotic" rather than "wild," but none of them are domesticated.

The ownership of any animal carries with it the serious responsibility to provide appropriate and humane care. But meeting such a responsibility for wild and exotic animals can be impossible for the average person, and the animals invariably suffer for it. They require considerable expertise, specialized facilities, and total dedication to their needs. Without these, the life of an exotic "pet" is miserable — leaving the animal to languish in a cramped cage.

Dogs and cats are our special animal companions, domesticated thousands of years ago and shaped by breeding for traits making life with humans easy and natural. Indeed, they depend on us.

But wild or exotic animals — even those who were captive-born or hand-raised by people — have not been adjusted to life with humans. Doing so takes generation after generation. So keeping them as pets is usually inhumane — deliberately or not — and comes with threats to human health and safety.

The risk to human safety is not affected by the species, age, or size of an exotic pet. Small animals can be as dangerous to people as large ones. Muzzled and declawed exotics still present a danger simply from their strength. And along with the potential for physical injury comes serious public health concerns that can't be ignored — like polio, rabies, ringworm, and tuberculosis, to name a few.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 93,000 cases of reptile-associated salmonellosis occur each year in the United States, resulting in as many as 10 deaths. All reptiles and amphibians carry salmonella and are capable of passing the bacteria on to household members even without direct contact. And macaque monkeys — common in the pet trade — can transmit herpes B virus to humans through bites or saliva. The result is usually fatal. The threat of rabies alone should be sobering — no approved vaccine exists to immunize wild and exotic mammals, as we routinely do with our dogs and cats.

But the exotic and wild pet trade doesn't just threaten public health and safety and condemn captive animals to miserable lives. It also causes the deaths of millions of animals worldwide every year. Many finches, parrots, and toucans are wild-caught, and up to 80 percent of wild-caught birds die during transport and capture. Captivity stresses the survivors, making them more susceptible to medical and behavioral problems. This is particularly alarming given that large parrots can live more than 50 years. Most pet reptiles are wild-caught or born to wild-caught parents. And perhaps 90 percent of wild-caught reptiles die in their first year of captivity from trauma during capture and shipment and their often unmet dietary and habitat needs.

So please resist the urge to take home an exotic or wild animal. It's not good for the animals or your family.

Copyright © 2003 The Humane Society of the United States. All rights reserved.