Every year, countless people succumb to the temptation to purchase
"exotic" animals like hedgehogs, macaws, lizards, monkeys--even
tigers and bears--from pet shops or auctions to keep as "pets." But
life in captivity is often a death sentence for these animals, who may suffer
from malnutrition, an improper environment, loneliness, and the stress of
confinement. The exotic animal trade is deadly for animals we don't see, too:
For every animal who makes it to the pet store or auction, countless others die
along the way.
The Journey to the Pet Shop
Even when birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals are legally purchased in pet
shops or from dealers, a cruel, illegal trade in exotic animals is being
supported. Birds are smuggled into the United States more than any other
animal. Before being shipped, birds are often force-fed, their wings are
clipped, their beaks are taped shut, and they are crammed into everything from
spare tires to luggage. It's not unusual for 80 percent of the birds in one
shipment to die. Reptiles, who are drugged and stuffed into containers with
false bottoms, also have high death rates. Despite the enormous losses of life,
smugglers reap profits: Wildlife experts estimate that the illegal trade in
exotic animals is a $10 billion-a-year business.(1) Many animals, ounce for
ounce, are worth more to smugglers than cocaine.(2)
Taking animals from their natural habitats not only endangers individual
animals--it jeopardizes entire populations and ecosystems. For example, the
population of the South American hyacinth macaw has dropped 75 percent in the
last 10 years due to smugglers' capturing of the birds for U.S. and European
collectors. In Argentina, trappers have cut down thousands of quebracho trees
since 1976 to reach fledgling macaws in their nests, destroying the habitat for
all remaining animals. In the waters of the Philippines, poachers spray a
sub-lethal dose of cyanide--which poisons fragile coral reefs--to stun and
capture brightly colored tropical fish.(3) To capture baby orangutans, poachers
shoot the infants' mothers because, instead of running away, the babies cling
to their mothers' dead bodies in fright.(4)
Animals bred in captivity usually fare no better. For example, to help
generate demand for pot-bellied pigs, breeders tell unsuspecting buyers that
these animals grow to weigh no more than 40 pounds. To keep pigs small,
unscrupulous breeders may deprive the pigs of food or inbreed them. But, once
adopted, pigs often grow to top the scales at 200 pounds or more.(5) Birds
older than 8 to 10 weeks of age don't sell well at pet shops, so many are kept
for breeding, confined to small, filthy cages. Nest boxes usually offer no
means of escape, endangering female birds who can be injured or killed by
sexually aggressive males. One trade magazine warns that hedgehogs under
stress--from being confined, fed an improper diet, or forced to have too many
litters--may display erratic behavior, including deserting, or even eating,
their babies.(6)
Hidden Dangers to Humans
Some exotic animals are regulated by laws that make it illegal for private
individuals to keep them. These laws are usually designed not to protect
animals, but to protect humans from animals who may be dangerous or who can
carry transmittable diseases. For example, people can contract diseases like
tuberculosis and hepatitis B from monkeys.(7) Iguanas and other reptiles-- the
fastest-growing segment of the exotic animals trade--can and do transmit
salmonella bacteria to humans.(8, 9) Animals such as raccoons and hedgehogs
often suffer from distemper, mange, parasites, and bacterial and viral
infections, which can be transferred to domestic animals.
Many exotic animals have innate characteristics that make them unsuitable to
keep inside homes. Tigers, lions, and other big cats, who can be legally
purchased at auctions throughout the country, are just one example. In a span
of just a few months, a 2-year-old Chicago girl was mauled by her aunt's
"pet" Asian jungle cat and needed 200 stitches(10); a 3-year-old
North Carolina boy required surgery after being attacked by his father's Bengal
tiger(11); and 15 lions were killed by police officers in Idaho after the
animals attacked their owners and escaped from "Ligertown," a private
compound that housed exotic animals.(12) Federal laws regulate the keeping of
exotic--and potentially dangerous--animals only if they are endangered or
exhibited or bred for profit. State and county laws are often too vague to be
enforceable.
Ignorance Breeds Misery
Enormous suffering can also result from negligence or ignorance when exotic
animals are kept in captivity. In November 1995, animal control authorities
confiscated a crippled cougar cub from a man in Long Island, N.Y. The cub had
been fed a calcium-deficient diet, which caused her bones to become twisted and
deformed. A local SPCA investigator said the cub's "own weight breaks her
bones."(13) Iguanas can suffer debilitating illnesses--and death--if they
are not provided with enough sunlight (for proper calcium metabolism) or if
they are fed inadequate diets. Hedgehogs, who roll themselves into tight balls,
can easily become injured when children try to "uncurl" them or if
cats roll them across floors. Some types of fish will die of loneliness if they
do not have other fish companions.
Nowhere to Turn
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association advises zoos to refuse exotic
animals from people who are unable or unwilling to care for them. Jack Cover, a
curator at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, says, "We'd have to have
two or three warehouses to handle the donations we get calls on."(14) Some
people sneak animals into exhibits--and risk infecting zoo populations with
diseases--or leave animals in front of zoo gates; usually these animals are
euthanized. Others try to return unwanted animals to their natural homes--or
simply abandon them along rural roads-- but without appropriate rehabilitation,
these animals will starve or fall victim to the elements or predators. Many
pot-bellied pigs are taken to slaughterhouses when their owners tire of them.
A Death Sentence for Exotic Animals
According to animal shelter sources, 60 percent of all wild animals who are
kept as "pets" die within the first month of ownership; of the
remainder, 20 percent die within the first year, and only 10 percent are still
alive by the end of the second year.(15)
Resist buying exotic animals from dealers or pet shops. Support or introduce
legislation that would make owning exotic animals illegal in your community
(contact PETA for a sample ordinance), and fight efforts by breeders and pet
store owners to dismantle existing laws.
If you are concerned about the welfare of an exotic animal in your
community, contact the local humane society. Often, animal control officials
conduct investigations only after complaints by neighbors have been filed.
References