BORN FREE USA Statement on Private Possession of Exotic "Pets"
Born Free USA strongly opposes the private possession of exotic animals as "pets." Exotic animals, such as lions, tigers, ocelots, servals, wolves, bears, alligators, venomous snakes, and non-human primates, are held privately as "pets" all across the country.
By their very nature, exotic animals are wild and potentially dangerous and, therefore, do not adjust well to a captive environment. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have all opposed private possession of certain exotic animals.
There have been numerous incidents across the country where exotic animals held in private possession have attacked humans and other animals, and have escaped from their enclosures and freely roamed the community. As a result, children and adults have been mauled by tigers, bitten by monkeys, and asphyxiated by snakes. In addition, many exotic animals are potential disease carriers, such as Herpes B, Salmonellosis, and rabies, all of which are communicable to humans.
When in the hands of private individuals, captive animals themselves suffer. Wild animals do not adjust well to a captive environment. They require special care, housing, diet and maintenance that the average person cannot provide. As a result, individuals who possess captive wild animals often attempt to change the nature of the animals rather than the nature of the care provided. Such tactics often include confinement in small barren enclosures, chaining, beating "into submission," or even painful mutilations, such as, declawing and tooth removal.
To properly ensure the community's safety and the animal's welfare, Born Free USA strongly supports all appropriate measures to prohibit possession of exotic animals as "pets."