Annotated Bibliography: Ownership of Exotic Animals Elijah McDade American Humane (Ed.). (2021, February 25). Ownership of wild, exotic, and non-traditional companion animals. Ownership of Wild, Exotic, and Nontraditional Companion Animals. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.americanhumane.org/position-statement/ownership-of-wild-exotic-and-non-tradition al-companion-animals/. The humane society defines wild and exotic animals as animals that do not belong to one of seven domesticated species: dogs, cats, horses, pigs, cows, sheep or goats. There are still distinctions between wild and exotic animals. An exotic animal is an animal that is wild but is also from a different continent than the one where ownership takes place. These animals are never exactly domesticated, they are considered to be more accustomed to humans. The Humane Society thinks that ownership of these animals should be left to accredited zoos and aquariums. This is because private ownership typically comes with a lack of knowledge. This tends to result in tragedy either for the owner or the animals. Many of the mishaps are (but not limited to) lack of nutrition, lack of knowledge about behavior traits, social needs, cost of feed, and veterinary care. More mishaps happen through the release or abandonment of these animals. A brief history of the global exotic pet trade. World Animal Protection. (2020, August 21). Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.worldanimalprotection.us/news/brief-history-global-exotic-pet-trade. As long as recorded human history, mankind has owned exotic pets. Records show that people in Egypt as early as 4000 B.C. were keeping birds for more than just food. The Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) took ownership to a whole new level by trying to breed fish for exotic decorations. It wasn’t until the 15th century that animals were being traded across oceans. The ownership of these pets did not become mainstream until the 20th century. This is because all of the equipment to own them started to become affordable. The ownership of these pets can cause the animals psychological and physical pain. For example, parrots will rip out their own feathers while in captivity because of stress and boredom. Keeping animals is a tradition that is centuries old, but the global trade of wildlife is causing millions of animals to suffer each year. Copeland, B. (2018, October 11). 5 tragic stories of exotic pet ownership gone wrong. Treehugger. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.treehugger.com/tragic-stories-exotic-pet-ownership-gone-wrong-4858636. This article goes through different mishaps of exotic ownership. The true story that should be emphasized is the tragedy of Kelly Ann Walz and the black bear named Teddy. This bear was raised by the Walz family since it was a cub. After being in the family for years, Kelly Ann developed a false sense of security and left the bear loose while cleaning its cage. The bear started mauling Kelly and ended up killing her. When help finally arrived, the bear ended up getting killed as well. Another fatality that seems rather surprising is the death of Gerald Rushton. The Texas native was keeping a 500 pound deer as a pet, and got kicked while trying to move the animal. Gerald Rushton ended up passing away from his injuries. The common theme between most of these fatalities is either underestimation of these exotic animals or just plain negligence. Gajanan, M. (2020, March 24). The Wild Story Behind the Netflix Docuseries 'Tiger King'. Time. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://time.com/5807284/tiger-king-netflix-true-story/. Of course, cannot have a conversation about the ownership of exotic animals without talking about the “gay, gun-toting cowboy with a mullet” as he calls himself. Joe Exotic operated a big cat zoo in Oklahoma for many years before he was sentenced to prison for 22 years because of attempted murder-for-hire and killing multiple tigers. He also declared bankruptcy and lost ownership of his zoo because of a lawsuit over trademark infringement with his nemesis Carole Baskin. They got into an ethics battle that finally climaxed over years which ultimately ended with Joe Exotic behind bars. They had different perspectives on ownership of these big cats. Joe thought it is okay to breed, sell, rent, and basically make a dollar anyway he could. Carole believed that they are wild animals and they should live in sanctuaries that are close to their natural habitat. McDade, E. (2019, December 6). Randy Kuolt (My Uncle) and his Mountain Lions. personal. Randy Kuolt, as long as I could remember, always had some sort of exotic animal. As a kid, I remember going into his garage and seeing his macaws in their cages and their extraordinary colors. He has also told me stories of his mountain lions that he used to have and what it would take not to get mauled by them. With vivid detail he would explain that he had to show these monstrous animals that he was the alpha so he would wrestle with them and show dominance by inflicting pain on them. This borderline abuse he assured me was necessary so that he did not get attacked by them. He also shared a story of how a little girl got bit by one of his mountain lions when he was not around. Through negligence of his friend (who was the veterinarian) went with his 8 year old niece without permission and got bit by the mountain lion. In the end, he ended up losing custody of his animal which was later put in a zoo. Michigan State University. (n.d.). Map of private exotic pet ownership laws. Animal Law Legal Center. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.animallaw.info/content/map-private-exotic-pet-ownership-laws. This map of private exotic animal ownership goes over the laws on which states allow ownership of exotic animals. It is broken up statewide into four different categories. These categories are, states with a comprehensive ban, states with a partial ban, states with a licensure scheme, and states with no ban. A comprehensive ban classifies wild cats, large non-domesticated carnivores, reptiles, and non-human primates as "dangerous animals" or otherwise prohibits private ownership of these species. A partial ban means that these states ban specific, listed animals by statute, but not all non-traditional, non-domestic animals. A licensure scheme means that the owner may have to register with the state, prove satisfactory conditions for the keeping of such animals, pay a fee, and maintain liability insurance. The remaining states do not directly address or control the private ownership of exotic pets, but may regulate some aspect of ownership. These states may require health certificates or import permits for such animals. National Humane Education Society. (n.d.). Exotic Pet Trade. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://www.nhes.org/exotic-pet-trade/. The National Humane Education Society goes into depth about the risks of captivity for exotic animals. According to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the illegal importation and sale of exotic animals is a multi-million dollar industry. Most of these animals die in transit from the wild to the auction block, and from the auction block into their new homes (zoos, pet owners, exhibitors, etc.). Ownership of these animals can also transmit diseases such as salmonella which can be passed by just the touch of infected turtles. The National Humane Education Society also elaborates that these animals will not survive in their natural habitat if they have lived in captivity for too long. This article states many more problems the owners could face. Precautions should be taken to provide safety not only for the owners, but for the animals as well. Stracqualursi, V., & Diaz, D. (2020, December 4). Invoking 'tiger king,' House passes Bill Banning Big Cat ownership. CNN. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/04/politics/tiger-king-house-bill-big-cat-ownership/index.html. After the emergence of Joe Exotic the Tiger King, the ownership of these exotic animals have been under major scrutiny. The house of representatives passed a bill 272-114 vote for the “Big Cat Public Safety Act”. This article states that the passing of the act will help end the public safety hazards associated with private ownership, prohibit public contact based on snatching infant cubs from their mothers for 'pay to play' and selfie-taking operations, and cripple the shady networks that put these endangered animals at risk of being killed for the wildlife products trade. The passing of this bill was also supported by animal welfare groups like The Humane Society. They say the passing of this bill will protect the big cats from abuse, public and first responders from injury and death, and the tigers from extinction. Those who opposed the bill have stated that the bill isn't designed to protect the public from big cats, but actually about hurting family-run zoos across the nation.
