KEEPING EXOTIC

To regulate exotic pets, The Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, ensures dangerous animals are only kept under a license, and have preventive meaures to prevent harm to people.

Pet suitability

Like any animal, it should always be sourced from a captive breeder, and it should have evidence to prove ethical breeding practices.

Ethical sourcing

Laws act to prevent unethical sourcing of all pet types. For exotics, the risk is being taken from the wild, for traditional pets, it's being born into pet mills. Both have more ethical sources, and both were once historically taken from the wild.

Similar Sourcing

Escaped traditional pets have the capacity to be equally invasive in counties, eg. the cat in several countries

Equally invasive

Diseases spread because of bad husbandry, which applies to any animal, and is not exotic specific.

Misrepresented disease spread

Exotics, commonly reptiles, besides the start up, tend to be low maintenance, needing little attention in comparison to traditional pets

Lower maintenance

Educated care for an exotic can teach individuals to rethink how they view animals, improve understanding of body language and gain a wider perspective

LEarning experience

WHY EXOTICS SHOULD BE KEPT IN THE UK

Not known to be aggressive or venomous, don’t have large powerful jaws, or other physical attributes that are harmful to others

Not invasive to the region they would be housed in

How to care for the animal is well known, and the correct veterinary care, food and housing is readily available

Responsibly bred in captivity

Not endangered with extinction in the wild, and those that aren’t regularly targeted by traffickers

Not protected by law

Not a known carrier of a serious zoonotic disease

Considered to be domesticated and/or have been in the pet trade for decades

What makes an exotic suitable?