Overview
Wild animals are often kept captive in private homes as "pets." Common animals kept as "pets" include lions, tigers, cougars, ocelots, servals, wolves, bears, alligators, snakes, monkeys and other nonhuman primates. These animals by their very nature are incapable of being domesticated or tamed.
Wild animals are inherently dangerous. Across the country wild and exotic animals privately held have attacked humans and other animals, and have escaped from their enclosures, freely roaming the community. Children and adults have been mauled by tigers, bitten by monkeys, and asphyxiated by snakes.
Animal Welfare
When in the hands of private individuals, the animals themselves may suffer. These animals do not adjust well to a captive environment, for they require special care, housing, diet, and maintenance that the average person cannot provide. As a result, individuals who possess exotic animals often attempt to change the nature of the animal rather than the nature of the care provided.
When many possessors realize they can no longer care for an exotic "pet" they turn to zoos and other institutions such as sanctuaries to take over the responsibility. However, there are not enough zoos and accredited institutions to possibly accommodate the number of unwanted exotic "pets." As a result, most of these animals are either euthanized, abandoned, or doomed to live in deplorable conditions.
Public Safety
Across the country, many exotic animals privately held have escaped from their enclosures and freely roamed the community, and have attacked humans and other animals. Children and adults have been mauled by tigers, bitten by monkeys, and asphyxiated by snakes.
Monkeys are the most common non-human primates privately held. Monkeys tend to exhibit unpredictable behavior after the age of two. Males become aggressive, and both males and females bite to defend themselves and to establish dominance. Of monkey bites reported since 1990, many resulted in serious injury to the possessor, a neighbor, or a stranger on the street.
Non-domesticated felines, such as lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, and ocelots, are commonly held as "pets." These exotic animals are cute and cuddly when they are young but have the potential to seriously injure or kill other animals and people as they mature. When adult, exotic large felines weigh anywhere between 300 to 500 pounds (depending on the species), and are incapable of being "domesticated." Even an animal that appears to be friendly and loving can attack unsuspecting individuals.
Reptiles, including all types of snakes and lizards, pose safety risks to humans as well. Many incidents have been reported of escapes, strangulations, and bites from "pet" reptiles. Snakes are the most common "pet" reptiles and have the potential to inflict serious injury through a bite or constriction. According to the University of Florida, more than 7,000 venomous snake bites are reported annually in the United States, 15 of which result in death. (It is uncertain how many of these snake bites are from "pets.")
With so many exotic animals in private hands, these incidents are not rare. By their very nature, exotic animal "pets" are dangerous creatures, so it is no surprise that when they exhibit their natural instincts it is to the detriment of the community. In brief, these animals are time bombs waiting to explode.
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Public Health
Many exotic animals are carriers of zoonotic diseases such as herpes B, salmonellosis, and rabies, all of which are communicable to humans.
Eighty to 90 percent of all macaque monkeys are infected with Herpes B-virus or Simian B, a virus that is harmless to monkeys but fatal to 70 percent of humans who contract it. Monkeys shed the virus intermittently in saliva or genital secretions, which generally occurs when the monkey is ill, under stress, or during breeding season. At any given time, about 2 percent of infected macaque monkeys are shedding the virus. A person who is bitten, scratched, sneezed on, or spat on while shedding occurs runs the risk of contracting the disease. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) asserts that the increase in macaque monkeys in the pet trade may constitute an emerging infectious disease threat in the United States.
Ninety percent of all reptiles carry and shed Salmonella in their feces. Iguanas, snakes, lizards, and turtles are common carriers of the bacteria. Reptiles that carry Salmonella do not show any symptoms, thus there is no simple way to tell which reptiles play host to the microbe and which do not, because even those that have it do not constantly shed the bacteria. Individuals become infected by ingesting Salmonella after handling a reptile or objects the reptile contaminated, and then failing to wash their hands properly (this can be either indirect or direct contact with infected reptiles). The CDC recommends that children, people with compromised immune systems, and the elderly avoid all contact with reptiles and not possess them as "pets." Salmonellosis associated with exotic "pets" has been described as one of the most important public health diseases affecting more people and animals than any other single disease. The CDC estimates that 93,000 Salmonella cases caused by exposure to reptiles are reported each year in the United States.
Also, there are no known rabies vaccinations licensed for exotic animals. Any exotic animals not completely excluded from all contact with rabies vectors can become infected. This means that animal kept outside in cages can be infected from wild animals in the area.
The Captive Wild Animal Trade
Because the majority of states do not keep accurate records of exotic animals in their jurisdictions or have no laws governing captive wild animals, it is nearly impossible to determine exactly how many wild animals are in the United States. The records kept pursuant to federal, state, and local laws merely lay out the individuals who possess the animals; in general the laws do not require an inventory to be kept as to how many animals each person possesses. What we do know, however, is that the number is likely in the millions as evidenced by the amount of people who have licenses under the Animal Welfare Act and licenses pursuant to state law.
What we can ascertain is that the trade in exotic animals is a multi-billion dollar industry. People are breeding captive wild animals in large numbers. Every year, thousands of animals enter the captive wild animal trade from a variety of sources. These animals are either "surplus" from various roadside menageries and other zoos, captured from their native habitat, are sold at auctions, pet stores or over the Internet, or come from backyard breeders.
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What Experts Have to Say
Numerous government agencies, public officials, and non-profit organizations have spoken out against the keeping of wild and exotic animals as pets. For example, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have all opposed the private possession of certain exotic animals.
