It's no secret that people have exotic pets and rehoming them has become a major issue. Tens of thousands of various exotic animals have been increasingly kept as pets for years. Thankfully, lion cubs are no longer able to be bought from department stores like "Christian" the lion was in 1969, but everyone, everywhere, has the ability to get practically any kind of animal they want and keep it as a pet. And many people still do.
The Issue
Now several articles can be written debating the whole exotic pet issue of what should and shouldn't be kept as a pet (and there are several on this site already for you to read!), but this article isn't meant to debate. It is meant to help us, the entire exotic pet loving population, find an answer for our problem - what do we do with all these pets?
How Do So Many Exotic Pets Need Homes?
That's a great question! And it has many answers. So many exotic pets need homes because of a variety of causes. Let's list some of those causes:
Abuse and Neglect - Exotic pets are often found in deplorable and confined enclosures in basements, backyards, in hoarders houses, and small cages. These animals would be removed from these conditions more often if officials had somewhere they could take them.
Escape and Release - Invasive species are detrimental to the health of our precious ecosystems. When exotic pet owners intentionally release their unwanted pets into the wild they are doing nothing but harm to the animal, other people, environment, or all three. The same goes for unsafe enclosures that allow animals to escape. People find these animals in the wild and don't know what to do with them.
Unwanted - I get e-mails several times a week for unwanted red eared sliders alone. And much larger, more dangerous, harder to place exotic pets are unwanted as well, such as primates, big cats, and large snakes. Owners get these pets without thinking about the future of these long-term care animals and at some point decide they no longer can or want to care for them. Rescue facilities either don't exist in their area or don't have room for most of these pets.
Seizures - When an official takes an animal away that is illegal to own, during importation or exportation, or after an injury to or death of the owner or another person, there are usually limited places they can take that exotic pet.
What Happens to These Exotic Pets?
This is the Catch-22 of the whole situation - the pet typically doesn't have anywhere to go! No one wants to see officials killing every exotic pet they find, catch, seize, or acquire through another means. The pets deserve a good life. But the reality is there are few places to take these animals. Let's explore some possible outlets for these exotic pets.
Shelters, Rescue Facilities, and Sanctuaries - If there is a shelter for the specific kind of exotic pet that needs a home, if the pet can be transported to that shelter, and if the shelter, rescue, or sanctuary has room for the pet then these are great options. Reasons why these options don't usually work include no funding at the facilities to take in and care for more animals, the lack of facilities that can house and care for many exotic pet species, funding to transport the pet to able facilities, or the plain hard truth that there just isn't any room or facility for the animal.
New Owners - Finding a willing party to care for a pet that needs to be rehomed sounds easier than it really is. First, there isn't exactly a list of people looking for an abused capuchin, 18 ft. burmese python, 9ft. alligator, full-grown lion, or even a 6 inch red eared slider! Second, many exotic pets are illegal to own in certain areas so options for potential owners can be slim for your common illegal animals that need homes. Third, as stated previously, there aren't usually any places to even temporarily, much less permanently, keep these animals while searching for a home.
Euthanasia - Probably the option everyone wants to avoid with pets in need of rehoming. Unfortunately this option is used quite often due to a lack of other resources, fear, or laziness on the part of the official unwilling to do a little leg work.
Release Into the Wild - Definitely not the option of choice. Of course people who have no other options usually resort to releasing their exotic pets into the wild thinking that little turtle will be fine and the ecosystem won't suffer at all. Or they just don't think at all. Actually the animals usually die, especially if they can't survive in the climate changes, can't defend themselves from other wildlife, or can't find their own food. If they do survive they become an invasive species if they aren't native to the area (remember the non-survival reasons even if they are native to the area), and can harm the environment. If you don't believe me that invasive species are an issue all over the world than just Google the phrase "invasive species" to see the number of organizations dedicated to ridding the earth of them. They can wipe out entire species of native plants and animals that are vital to many areas on earth. This is a serious issue but most people have their blinders on and think a red eared slider in their neighborhood pond couldn't possibly do any harm. I'm telling you, it already has.
Zoos - Years ago you may have been able to call up your local zoo and see if they wanted to take in your unique exotic pet. But that's not the case anymore. Despite popular belief, zoos don't want, and will not take in pets. They get phone calls every day regarding this and people don't understand. Your pet is not a good option for a zoo breeding program either. Trust them.
Read on to find a solution to the problem.
