Tragic Stories of Exotic Pet Ownership Gone Wrong

Exotic species have won the hearts of animal enthusiasts yearning for companions, including chimpanzees, pythons, kinkajous, and scarlet macaws.

However, keeping exotic animals as pets can have unintended consequences for both people and animals.

Without direct contact with people, wild animals have existed for thousands of years. They have evolved to survive in difficult, wild surroundings. They are not well suited to residing in a home or around people.

Here are reasons why you shouldn't keep wildlife as exotic pets:

Wildlife Should Remain Untamed

(Photo : WIKUS DE WET/AFP via Getty Images)

Wild animals are born to be wild, unlike cats and dogs, which have been tamed for hundreds of years and have been adapted to live alongside people, as per World Animal Protection.

Many creatures have complex social dynamics and complex lifetimes. They just cannot exhibit the same natural behaviors in a captivity as they do in the wild.

Even captive-bred animals share genetic characteristics with their wild counterparts, rendering them unsuitable as pets.

Simply put, these species cannot survive in the majority of caged situations. Snakes are frequently kept in tanks that are too tiny for them to fully extend their bodies.

Parrots are frequently kept alone in small cages despite rarely being alone in the wild. An exotic wild animal should not have to live like this.

A Lot Of Exotic Creatures Are Kidnapped From The Wild

Before being abruptly and cruelly snatched from their home and family to become pets, many animals begin their existence in the wild.

These wild creatures were captured using blatantly cruel methods. Investigations by World Animal Protection, for instance, uncovered the use of live bait to entice and capture wild macaws.

These examinations showed that the technique entailed attaching a live bird to the ground or a tree where it would act as bait.

The distressed call of the caged bird draws the attention of other macaws that were also captured and taken from their homes to be sold as exotic pets.

This is but one illustration of the cruelty. It's shocking how many animals are taken from the wild and sold as exotic pets.

An estimated 90% of traded reptile species and 50% of traded reptiles on an individual basis come from wild capture.

Also Read: Wild Animals Don't Attack Humans Anymore, Here's Why

A Special Issue Is Apes

Apes, which include chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, and gibbons, are extremely social, intellectual, and sensitive creatures, as per the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

They are fascinating since they are the closest living cousins of ours, and little apes are cute. Because of these qualities, apes are frequently used as pets and entertainers in advertising campaigns.

However, their fame and allure conceal the very harmful and brutal methods used to coerce apes into making these public appearances.

Apes can unexpectedly inflict serious injury when maintained as pets if their innate impulses set off fear, aggressiveness, or other strong emotions.

You Might be Harmed

Wild animals might be risky to keep as pets. Many have the ability to bite, scratch, and assault an owner, kids, or visitors.

Animal keepers may be held liable for any harm, diseases, or injuries brought on by their charges.

It can be challenging, if not impossible, to find new homes for enormous, difficult-to-handle creatures, especially because the majority of zoos are unable to take them.

Although captive breeding is frequently advocated as a humane substitute for wild capture, it nonetheless causes tremendous pain.

In addition to the fact that wild animals should remain in the wild, breeding techniques used to develop selecting qualities that appeal to customers can also negatively affect the physical and mental well-being of the animal.

This effect is most noticeable in snakes and other reptiles, where there is a growing market for distinctive genetically modified varieties, or "morphs."

These well bred reptiles frequently display symptoms of neurological conditions that have an effect on the welfare of the animals.