Hi SHARE Folks -
My sister, Sue Fried, had a writing assignment for an English class. She chose as her topic "Exotic Animals as Pets". I'm extremely proud of her finished report. It's long, but very well researched and written. I talked with her at length about the subject, and she used some of my comments in the report. I'm including the entire report here so you can SHARE it too. - Maureen

Exotic Animals as Pets
by
Sue Fried
ENG102H

Mrs. Geiger
May 1, 2005

Exotic Animals as Pets

Thesis: Wild animals, are not domesticated and should not be kept as pets.

I. Wild animals, for purposes of this report, shall refer to those animals that live naturally in the outdoors.
A. There are animals that are native to the region and inhabit the woods, fields and waterways.
B. Exotic animals, the subject of this report, are wild animals, not native to the region.
II. People want to possess exotic animals for a variety of reasons.
III. There are specific problems that frequently arise as a result of owning exotic pets.
A. There are inadequate resources to properly care for the animals’ nutritional and medical needs.
B. A big safety problem arises when the animal gets older and its wild instincts emerge.
C. When the owner no longer wants the animal, it is difficult to find it a new home.
1. It is not safe to set the exotic pet “free” outside.
2. Local shelters can not take the exotics.
3. Zoos will not take the unwanted pets.
IV. Many of the exotic animals are smuggled into the country.
VII. Inadequate legislation to protect the animals exists in many states.
Conclusion: Trying to make an exotic animal into a pet can harm both the pet and the owner.

There are many reasons people want to possess an exotic, especially the babies. Young tigers are cute and cuddly looking. They resemble playful pussy cats—until they grow up. They also are considered by some to be status symbols. An occasional story about a famous entertainer having a pet tiger may result in a surge in popularity for the cats. Baby monkeys and chimpanzees are intelligent and playful, and can be trained to do all kinds of things. They look like little people and some owners actually dress them in people clothes. The problem with pet tigers and pet monkeys is that they grow up. When a house cat matures from a kitten, it is still a small animal, compared to man. An adult tiger, however, generally weighs between three and five hundred pounds. It is still beautiful, but the word cuddly does not accurately describe this animal that can kill a man with a single bite. Monkeys and chimps, too, are not easily controlled once they reach adolescence.

Despite all the health and safety reasons that these animals do not make good house pets, which will be discussed later in more detail, many people choose to own them anyway. Unfortunately, giving these animals the proper care can be a major problem. The average pet store does not sell food for these animals. Purina does not make “Tiger Chow” or “Purina One for Chimpanzees” (Purina). Unlike a TV show where someone tosses a steak to a big cat, or feeds a banana to a monkey, a nutritional diet for these animals is not that simple. The food for an adult animal can become very costly, just based on the quantity required. A three-ounce can of Fancy Feast for a house cat may cost fifty cents, but the daily rations for a grown tiger may cost closer to eighty dollars, as it consumes thirty to fifty pounds of meat each day.

The AESOP-Project (Allied Effort to Save Other Primates) points out on their web site that these animals also need the proper physical and psychological environment in order to thrive. A cage cannot provide the life they were meant to have in their natural habitat It is not easy to even learn the proper care for these animals. The few books on the topic that are readily available do not give adequate information. A Practical Guide to Exotic Pets by Chris Mattison, for example, offers a plethora of information on the care and handling of bugs, amphibians, and reptiles, but not a word about exotic mammals. A prospective owner might try to learn about the care of exotics, but search as he may, he will not find a pet tiger instruction manual at the local library, nor will he find it at PETsMART or even online at Amazon.com. The reason this information is not available is simple; these animals are “incapable of being domesticated” says the Animal Protection Institute [API], a noted animal advocate group. They point out in their fact sheet, “The Dangers of keeping Exotic ‘Pets’” that whether due to lack of knowledge or lack of funds, the average person cannot provide the special care, housing and maintenance the animals need. In the hands of private individuals, there is a good chance that the animals can suffer and die, needlessly (Animal Protection Institute [API], Dangers of Keeping Exotic Pets).

Medical care is a problem, too. The local veterinarian may be an expert with dogs and cats, but has probably not touched an exotic animal since medical school. Expecting him to have the specialized training that a zoo veterinarian has could be compared to expecting a psychiatrist to perform brain surgery. The vet may refer to Exotic Animals: A Veterinary Handbook, but would only find information on birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and a tiny section on mammals that includes only ferrets, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits and pot-bellied pigs; not a word about big cats or primates.

Medical problems may also arise for the owners. “Nonhuman primates are notorious for harboring deadly contagious illnesses such as tuberculosis, Hepatitis, and Simian Herpes B” (AESOP). Statistics show that eighty to ninety percent of all macaque monkeys are infected with these diseases and can be which can be spread to humans not only through a bite or scratch, but from the monkey’s saliva from a sneeze or spit. Though harmless to monkeys, the diseases are fatal to seventy percent of humans who contract them (API). More publicized than the medical hazards to humans are the safety hazards of owning exotic pets. Organizations such as the Animal Protection Institute (API) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) track reported incidents involving animals. In PETA’s “Big Cat Incidents Factsheet (United States)” they provide a list of incidents, sorted by animals. According to their data, in the past fourteen years, there have close to two hundred incidents involving captive big cats in the United States that resulted in the killing of sixty-five of the cats, death to fifteen humans and injuries to more than one hundred forty humans.

A number of tragic animal attacks have received national news coverage. Noted events over the past few years include the mauling of animal trainer and magician Roy Horn on October 3, 2003. According to CNN.com, during a performance at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, Horn was grabbed by the neck by one of his trained tigers and taken to the hospital in critical condition. Nearly sixteen months later, Horn has finally been seen in public, still not fully recovered. On October 4, 1003, the day after Horn’s attack in Vegas, police in New York’s Harlem neighborhood, went to the apartment of Antoine Yates after a hospital reported a tiger bite to Yates’ leg. Police found a four hundred pound Bengal tiger being kept as a pet in the small apartment. The tiger was confiscated, as was a pet alligator found at the premises. Yates received five years’ probation on a charge of reckless endangerment, and the animals were taken to a wildlife preserve in Ohio according to Eddy Ramirez in the NY Times.

Although the gore may be shocking, the public is not really surprised to read about attacks by big cats, but most people do not realize how frequently violent attacks by pet monkeys and chimpanzees occur. When a cute little chimp dressed up in his business suits walk in front of the camera “talking” into his cell phone asking, “Can you hear me now?” everyone chuckles at how tame and well-trained the animal is. The chimps appearing on TV are babies and toddlers. By the time monkeys and apes reach adolescence, their instincts begin to surface, and they cannot easily be controlled. A tragic incident in California recently made headlines across the country. In January, 2000, CNN.com reported “Moe the chimp’s legal woes divide California town.” It seems that LaDonna and St. James Davis were the proud parents of Moe, a chimp that St. James had adopted in East Africa over thirty years earlier when the chimp was orphaned by poachers. Over the next thirty years, The Davis family raised Moe and he was popular in their California town. Moe even had some acting roles, including a part in the TV show, “BJ and the Bear.” Unfortunately, in 1998, about the time their last permit expired, Moe escaped. While trying to capture him, two people were bitten; one being a woman whose finger was bitten off. Moe was taken to a shelter (“Moe the chimp…”). On March 3, 2005, the LaDonna and St. James Davis went to the Animal Haven Ranch, a shelter for exotic animals, to visit Moe and celebrate his thirty-ninth birthday. While they were standing outside his cage and feeding him birthday cake, two other young male chimps that had gotten out of their cages, attacked. One bit LaDonna’s hand, then they attacked St. James. They literally bit off his nose, “chewed off most of [his] face, tore off his foot and attacked his limbs and genitals” (“Chimp attack…”). On April 21, 2005, ABC’s Primetime Live newsmagazine show broadcast a follow up to the Davis mauling called “Chimp Loving Duo Sees Their Darker Side.” Seven weeks after the attack, St. James Davis remains in the hospital in critical condition. In the interview with LaDonna, she explained how quickly the scene had changed. While innocently feeding cake to Moe, the two other males attacked in an instant. The camera showed pictures of the aftermath, including a shot that emphasized how one of the smaller chimps had pulled St. James, a big husky man, a distance of thirty feet, chewing all the while. It may have been an issue of dominance; perhaps the attackers were dominant and didn’t like their subordinate, Moe, getting the cake. It may have been territorial. It may have simply been aggression brought on because there were some female chimps, loose in the area as well. Regardless of their motivation, the event demonstrates that these are wild animals that will revert to instinctive behavior, over which man has no control. Sadly, the two attackers were both shot and killed. Moe was left depressed and confused. This was a sad ending for a couple who tried to give an orphaned chimp a home. Non-human primates are wild animals and belong in the wild (Chimp Loving Duo…”).

Eventually, most exotic pet owners will give up their pets. It may be as a result of law enforcement, insufficient money to care for the animal, lack of space, or even boredom. Whatever the reason, it results in a displaced animal that needs a home. There are several alternatives. Perhaps, there is another person who has a large enough space and wallet who will take the pet. Of course, getting the animal, who is no longer a baby, to accept a new owner may present a problem. Well, there is always the local zoo; they always need animals. No, actually they do not. A zoo will not take an animal that has been living in a domestic environment. There is a problem with getting it to socialize with other animals at the zoo, there is always a question of what medical conditions the pet may have been exposed to, and there is usually no room. There are owners who resort to simply setting the animals loose. Sadly, these animals rarely survive. They may not know how to hunt for food and fend for themselves. They may wind up attacking other animals or people and getting shot by hunters or animal patrol officers. There are also owners who choose to get rid of their pet by selling it for its pelt or for meat. Some animals can not be used or sold; they usually get euthanized. No animal deserves to be punished, just for living as its nature dictates.

The last alternative for many an adult exotic animal is to live out its life at a sanctuary or refuge with other former pets. Records reveal that there are places that call themselves by these charitable names, but actually add to the problem by breeding the animals, creating another generation to sell to unsuspecting “animal lovers” who want that cute cuddly ball of fur. Some “refuges” are really private zoos or drive-through parks, looking for profit at the expense of the animals. Certain organizations help monitor and set standards for the refuges. “Animal Centers of Excellence (ACE) is an international accreditation program designed to guide and assist animal sanctuaries in reaching the highest standards of animal care possible.” ACE defines the sanctuary as peaceful places where animals can live out their lives in appropriate surroundings for their species. They certify the facilities to be free from exploitation and commercial business, so animals are not “bred, sold, or traded.” For native wildlife, the facilities provide rehabilitation with a goal of release. Exotics get to stay for the rest of their lives. As with many industries, there are unscrupulous “sanctuaries.” Because of the increasing number of “displaced animals” there is a surplus of exotics, “fueled by importers, trappers, breeders, dealers, zoos, and pet stores” all trying to meet the public’s demand for baby animals. The surplus animals wind up being sold to roadside zoos, being sold for food, or becoming trophies in canned hunts.

Regulations in the animal industry are not uniform among the states and don’t even exist, in some. There are some regulations that apply to registered breeders in the USA. To get around that, there is a growing industry in the profitable illegal trade of these animals. Because the demand is for baby animals, it means taking them from their mothers when they are only days old, then smuggling them to get them here. Because they must be hidden, animals may be stuffed in boxes or transported in luggage. Despite the high price the babies may bring, they are brought in in large enough numbers that the smugglers do not worry about the animals that die in route. It is not unusual for the same people that smuggle animals to smuggle drugs and other contraband as well. Their concern is for the money, not for taking care of the animals.

The public needs to be educated and made aware of these practices in order to stop them.. In the children’s book series about the “Boxcar Children,” young readers get a glimpse of this animal cruelty in The Pet Shop Mystery. In the story, author Gertrude Warner’s young heroes uncover an unscrupulous pet store manager who, unknowingly to the store owner, is hiding a stolen macaw and a monkey while he makes plans to illegal sell the animals. Not only is the trade illegal, but he is keeping the animals in tiny cages in a cold warehouse.

There are also organizations that offer information to try to teach children not only about the legal issues surrounding exotic animals, but the moral issues that need to be considered before trying to make one into a pet. ACE (Animal Centers of Excellence) Sanctuaries offers volumes of information aimed at children. Their “Wild Means Wild” activity book is “[a] coloring and activity book created to inform and educate children that no matter how wonderful they are, WILD ANIMALS DO NOT MAKE GOOD PETS!” Each page has a picture of a different animal--monkey, lion, bear, cougar, raccoon, chimpanzee, and more—for the kids to color. Each animal wears a sad face as well as a chain around his neck. Under the picture is a sad phrase such as, “I miss my mom, I’m sad and upset. I want to be a monkey, not a pet.” For each animal pictured, there is an adjacent page that tells about the animal, and its native land. Following some informative quizzes and games about endangered animals, there is a cute picture of a puppy and kitten with the message that “cats and dogs make wonderful friends.” The resources to teach children about pet choices are readily available. It is up to the parents and schools to get the information to the children.

In a recent interview, Maureen Koplow, noted animal rights activist, founder of SHelter And REscue (SHARE), and trustee of Save the Animals Foundation (STAF) stresses the importance of educating the children and the community. As a former teacher in the Philadelphia schools for thirty-five years, the experienced Koplow explains that children should be taught to respect the animals and appreciate them, but to understand that wild animals belong in the wild. She points out that looking out for the rights of animals is not on the government’s “to do” list. It is up the public to step up and look out for the animals who can’t speak for themselves (Koplow).

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) “does not regulate the ownership and care of large wild and exotic cats as pets,” according to their position statement. Their Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Animal Care program regulates exhibitors of wild and exotic animals. For a fee and completion of a ¾ page application. the agency is lenient in issuing permits, according to PETA’s link to “Wildlife Pimps.” The Animal Welfare Act exists, however “even if fully enforced, [it] only provides protection to those animals in the custody of the USDA permit holders, i.e., research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, and operators of auctions” (“Captive Exotics,” HSUS). The laws regulating exotic animals are inconsistent on local and state levels. On the federal level, there are three:
1. Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits possessing, buying or selling endangered animals. It does not regulate private ownership, only the method of obtaining the animals. Interestingly, “‘generic’ tigers (subspecies that have been inbred) are not considered endangered and, as such, can be legally bred and possessed.”
2. Public Health Services Act (PHSA) forbids importing non-human primates and their babies into the USA except for use in education, exhibition or science. If is only enforceable, however, if it can be proved that the animal or its ancestors were imported after October, 1975.
3. The Lacey Act allows for prosecution for illegally obtained exotics, but doesn’t regulate ownership if obtained “legally.”

The states have the authority to regulate privately held exotics, but as of November 26, 2003, there only were thirteen states that banned possession of exotics, seven with partial bans (a shorter list of animals), and fourteen states that required some form of license or permit. The remaining sixteen states, of which Ohio is one, “neither prohibit nor require a license,” although some may ask for some certification that the animal was legally obtained (“The Dangers of Keeping…”. More effective legislation can be demanded, particularly when an incident occurs focusing attention on the subject. As a result of the Antoine Yates event in Harlem in 2003, exotic pets, including big cats and monkeys, have been banned in New York State. As of January 1, 2005 it became illegal to own, sell or trade the animals (Chiesi). Local laws vary widely. In the City of Cleveland, under the Codified Ordinances, Section 603.11, it states that large cats are prohibited in residences without specific permits. Such animals may be seized and impounded. The law allows for killing the animal if it becomes dangerous to the captors (Cleveland Code).

The government does protect its own wildlife, to some extent. The US Fish and Wildlife Service prohibits “adopting” native wildlife such as bears, wolves and coyotes. An interesting fact pointed out in the Koplow interview, is that people understand that the local wild animals belong in the wild. What many fail to realize is that “the animals we consider exotic are simply the wild animals from their native country.” She goes on to ask “why would we expect those animals to be any more suitable as pets than our native wild animals? They aren’t.”

It is impossible to justify taking a wild animal from another country, tearing it away from its mother, placing it in an unnatural setting where it cannot live with creatures of its own kind, and calling it a beloved pet. When it becomes older, less desirable, and unmanageable, it is relegated to a cage, a basement, chained, abandoned, or even killed. Exotic animals should not be pets; they should be allowed to live and die in their natural habitat.

In explaining why it is just not ethical to keep a wild animal in captivity, Maureen Koplow shares her philosophy. She explains that over the years, she has lived her life trying to help those creatures who cannot help themselves. She shares these words, for which she has become renowned, “I've been accused of being a do-gooder as though it were a bad thing to be. My reply is that in every situation you can do good, do bad, or do nothing. There are no rules, no laws, no guards looking over your shoulder. You have to let your conscience be your guide" (Koplow).

Works Cited

ACE Sanctuaries
AESOP-Project. 10 Apr. 2005 <http://www.aesop-project.org>.
“Big Cats Incidents Factsheet (United States). People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. 19 July, 2004.
“Captive Exotics and Wild Animals as Pets,” Humane Society of the United States. 18 Mar. 2005 <http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/captive_exotics_and_wild_animals_as_pets>
Chiesi, Veronica and Hank Graf. “No More Wild Animals as Pets.” RNews. 31 Dec. 2004. 22 Apr. 2005 <http://www.rnews.com/story_2004.cfm?id=235838rnews_story >
“Chimp-loving Duo Sees Their Darker Side.” Primetime Live. Editor Bram Davis, Interviewer John Quinones. ABC News. 21 Apr. 2005.
“Chimp attack doesn’t surprise experts.” MSNBC.com. 5 Mar. 2005. 22 Apr. 2005 <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7087194/>
Cleveland Code, Part 6 – Offenses And Business Activities Code, Title 1 – General Offenses, Chapter 603 – Animals And Fowl, Complete to June 30, 2004. Section 603.11 Large Cats. <http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/clevelandcodes/cco%5Fpart6%5F603.html>
CNN.com. 4 Oct. 2003. 22 Apr. 2005 <http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/10/04/roy.attacked/>
“The Dangers of Keeping Exotic ‘Pets’.“ “API Fact Sheet”. Animal Protection Institute. Nov. 2003. 20 Mar. 2005 <http://www.api4animals.org/308.htm>.
Exotic Animals: A Veterinary Handbook. Trenton: Veterinary Learning Systems, 1995. pp. 4-6
Koplow, Maureen. “Exotic Animals as Pets.” Telephone interview. 18 Apr. 2005.
Mattison, Chris. A Practical Guide to Exotic Pets. Philadelphia: Courage Books, 1994. p. 10
“Moe the chimp’s legal woes divide California town.” CNN.com. 8 Jan. 2000. 21 Apr. 2005. <http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/01/08/jailed.chimp/index.html>
Purina. 20 Mar.2005.< <http://www.purina.com/products/default.asp>>.
Ramirez, Eddy and Damien Cave. “Tiger’s Former Owner Reaches Plea Agreement.” New York Times 21 July 2004: Vol. 153 Issue 52917, pB4
Silverstein, Alvin, Virginia Silverstein, and Laura Silverstein Nunn. A Pet or Not? Brookfield: Twenty-first Century Books, 1999. pp. 5, 30, 33
Warner, Gertrude Chandler. The Pet Shop Mystery. Morton Grove: Albert Whitman & Co., 1996.
“Wild Means Wild.” ACE Sanctuaries. 14 Mar. 2005. <http://acesanctuaries.org/Kids/Activity_Book.html>.
“Wildlife Pimps.” 10 April, 2005.

Posted on SHARE Yahoo group - May 2, 2005