1 minute read
Responsible Pet Choices
By Tracy Fenn, Curator of Mammals
Pets enrich our lives by giving us companionship and pleasure. Studies have shown that they are even good for our health. Pets can provide stress relief, unconditional love and emotional support. They play integral roles in human culture and experience, but it is critical to make responsible decisions when choosing pets.
There are significant differences between domestic and wild animals. Domestic animals include farmed animals and pets such as dogs, cats, horses, pigs, cows, sheep and goats.
These species have been selectively bred over thousands of years to adapt to human environments, provision and control. A wild animal belongs to a species that has not been domesticated. While some wild animals may become accustomed to humans, or “tamed,” a wild animal that is raised by humans does not become domesticated. Most wild animals are not appropriate as pets due to public health and safety, animal welfare and conservation consequences.
Public Health and Safety
Wild animals can inflict serious and life-threatening injuries. They have natural instincts required for survival in the wild, which often lead to unpredictable bouts of aggression. For this reason, it is particularly dangerous to keep carnivores and primates as pets. In response to growing public safety concerns, Congress passed the Big Cat Safety Act in 2022, which prohibits private possession of lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars or any hybrid of these species. Another proposed bill, the Captive Primate Safety Act, would similarly prohibit private possession of primates including prosimians, monkeys and apes. Primates not only pose significant risk of injury, but they also carry distinct risks of transmitting viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal diseases, some of which can be deadly to humans.
Animal Welfare
Wild animals in human care require specialized expertise and extensive resources to thrive. Many people do not have the knowledge or resources to properly care for a domestic pet, much less a wild animal. Failure to provide species-appropriate environment, nutrition, socialization and veterinary care often leads to physical and psychological damage. Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoos usually cannot take in former pets due to behavioral issues and unknown genetics, and most reputable animal sanctuaries stay at or near capacity. This makes placement in professional care difficult or impossible once a wild animal becomes unmanageable in a human household.
Conservation
Keeping wild animals as pets can directly and indirectly counter conservation efforts. Millions of animals are illegally captured and traded for the exotic pet trade, many of which suffer and die in the process. Even keeping wild animals legally as pets undermines the message of conservationists who work to educate indigenous people not to collect the local wildlife for pets. When exotic pets are released or escape into non-native habitats, they can become invasive wildlife that has detrimental effects on native species and ecosystems.
Before deciding on any pet, domestic or not, make sure to understand the needs and risks, and objectively assess your ability to be a responsible pet owner. Take the pledge to be an advocate for wildlife and learn more at the Not a Pet campaign, a partnership between AZA’s Wildlife Trafficking Alliance and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
Did You Know?
In Florida animals from the wild (including injured, orphaned, or abandoned native animals) are never eligible to be kept as personal pets. Learn more at FWC.
Responsibly bred leopard geckos (pictured) can make good pets for future pet owners interested in reptiles. Visiting a local shelter is an excellent way for future pet owners to find domesticated dogs and cats. In all cases, it is important for future pet owners to have very good knowledge of the animals and the ability to meet their care requirements.
