The American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums Statement on Wild Animals as Pets
What is a wild animal?
A wild animal lives in natural environments and requires definite periods of conditioning and learning in the presence of its parent and peers. It has certain inborn behavior patterns and also requires learned behavior to survive in competitive natural environments.
Why can't humans substitute for natural parents?
It is virtually impossible for a wild animal to adapt to traditional household living.
It is also impossible for pet owners to influence behavior patterns of wild animals or predict when wild and often destructive behavior will occur.
Do wild animals transmit disease?
A wild animal is especially dangerous in this regard, since an owner would have no way of knowing what disease the animal had been exposed to in its natural environment. Diseases such as rabies can have extremely lengthy incubation periods, lasting several weeks or even several months.
Wild animals harbor parasites which can be lethal, especially to infants and young children. Internal parasites such as ascarid worms, tape worms, flukes and protozoa can cause debilitating and often fatal diseases in humans, while external parasites such as ticks and fleas transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, bubonic plague and other serious diseases.
What about zoos and aquariums?
Zoos and aquariums were once places where disenchanted pet owners could unload their problem pets. Today, zoos and aquariums, through the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA), have established wildlife conservation as their highest priority. One way of increasing their efforts is to discourage the taking of animals from the wild by not accepting donations of pets.
Captive wild animals should be managed in a zoological park or aquarium by professional biologists and other specially trained persons.
Members of the AAZPA invite you to join them and learn about wild animals and the care provided them in zoological parks and aquariums.