Seriously, ASPCA?

[foxoftherose]

So I just found this: http://www.aspca.org/adoption/adopti...c-animals.aspx
This is such a crock of bull that I don't even know where to begin. I know that it's been said, but it's like there are no good groups anymore.
And here's my beloved I Can Has Cheezburger advertising/featuring the HSUS: http://cheezburger.com/44411649
I think that I'll just seethe here for a bit.

[RoseyReps]

I want to...you know what...nevermind.

I will join you in seething.

I think all I'm going to ask for from Santa is more donations to USARK so they can keep fighting these idiots.

Grrr...

[WarriorPrincess90]

Not the ASPCA too. What an awful page with so much misinformation. And of course, that's where the idiots who don't know a thing about exotics would go to find out about them. Between that, HSUS, PETA and Animal Planet, the general population is severely misinformed.

[decensored]

I don't usually do this, but when I do I take great pleasure in it.

"In a fit of boredom, decensored picks apart an ASPCA article. Let's watch as he comments on the obvious misinformation."

Exotic Animals as Pets

Would you keep a cat in a fish bowl? Or a hamster in a horse stable? Would you feed rabbit chow to your dog, or try to train a snake to sit? Yes, these are silly—even dangerous—things to do. Unfortunately, people do something similar when they keep exotic animals as pets.

Although this appears to be the opening argument, It has very little to do with the remainder of this essay. It's a stupid manipulative ploy which I can only assume is directed at stupid, easily persuaded people.. At no point is this ever referred to or supported with any real information.

Honey bears, sugar gliders, corn snakes, green iguanas, black panthers, rosy boas, flying squirrels, bearded dragons, veiled chameleons, spotted pythons, leopard geckos, even poison dart frogs and pot-bellied pigs—these are just some of the exotic animals people sell as pets. It may be easy to buy an exotic animal, but it is not a good idea. It is bad for the animals, bad for us and bad for the environment. And although it may be borderline legal to sell some of these animals, in many places it is illegal to buy them.


It's Bad for the Animals
Experts believe that it took at least five thousand years, and perhaps longer than ten thousand years, for wolves to evolve into dogs. So, there are thousands of years of difference between a wild and a domestic animal. Domesticated animals like dogs and cats don't do well without people, and wild and exotic animals don't do well with people.

Exotic animals are not domestic animals. Wolves, are not exotic pets. Wolves are classified as a prohibited animal, such as are bears. They are wildlife, and are closely regulated by most governments. Comparing reptiles, birds, and pot bellied pigs to wolves and bears is like comparing butter knives to assault rifles.

In addition, the little we do know of the needs of exotic animals shows us that we simply cannot meet these needs in captivity. Many monkeys, birds, and wild cats, for example, all can travel several miles in a single day. A walk on a leash through the park won't cut it. Since the vast majority of people who keep exotic animals cannot meet their needs, the animals may be caged, chained, or even beaten into submission. Sometimes, people will have an animal's teeth or claws removed, so that the animal cannot harm the owner even when he does struggle.
Malnutrition, stress, trauma, and behavioral disorders are common in exotics kept as pets. Unfortunately, getting medical care is extremely difficult—and not just because it may be illegal to have them. For one, many exotic animals hide symptoms of illness. And even when illness is suspected, finding a proper vet could require a visit to the zoo. It's not easy to find a vet to treat your sugar glider's salmonella or your lemur's herpes!

Firstly, most of the animals mentioned in the opening paragraph have been studied quite intensively.. Secondly if someone is pulling an animals teeth, or beating it into submission, they are committing animal cruelty. Responsible ownership would not lead to any of the acts mentioned above. It seems to me that perhaps more attention should be given to education, and not not to deceitful articles that prove to do nothing but spread ignorance. Ergo attributing to the problem.

It's Bad for Us
As one dealer of exotic animals put it, "If it walks, crawls, slithers or flies, chances are we have it." That's true of diseases, too. Estimates vary, but experts agree that at least one in three reptiles harbors salmonella and shigella. The percentage of reptiles with salmonella is probably 77 to 90 percent. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that 90 percent of imported green iguanas carry "some strain of intestinal bacteria."
Renquist and Whitney (1987) give an excellent summary of many of the diseases that primates alone can transmit to people. They report that up to 25 percent of both imported and domestically bred macaques have or have had the herpes B virus.
Here is a partial list of diseases with which exotic animals can infect humans: chlamydia, giardia, hepatitis A, rabies, ringworm, tuberculosis, measles, monkey pox, marburg virus, molloscum contagiosum, dermatophytosis, candidiasis, streptothricosis, yaba virus, campylobacteriosis, klebsiella and amebiasis; as well as infections from various nematodes, cestodes and arthropods. Although some of these diseases are not life-threatening, some are very serious, even fatal.
If the bugs don't hurt us, the bites will. Exotic animals, by definition, are not domesticated. Exotic animals are unpredictable. Their behavior may change with seasons or life cycles in ways we don't understand. They rarely bond with their owners. Pet primates, big cats and reptiles have attacked and seriously injured their owners, unsuspecting neighbors and bystanders.

Okay..
1. Who are these experts? I'm not disagreeing with the statistics as I have no idea where they came from. However, considering the amount of utter BS in this article, I am apt to call shenanigans. There is no accountability. I could publish a paper saying 99% of domestic cats are sustained by the blood of young children, "according to experts."

2. Okay so reptiles are capable of carrying the salmonella virus.. So is chicken. Again, the key is education and responsibility, not an attempt to brainwash the population into a disdain for poultry and those who eat it.

3. So these animals come from their NATURAL environment with parasites and an assortment of ailments. Into conditions where said illnesses can be treated and corrected. Hmm sounds unfair.. But that's not even the issue - captive bred animals, which account for a large percentage of the exotic pet trade, are not imported, according to experts.


It's Bad for the Environment
Where do exotic animals come from? It is very hard to breed most exotic pets in captivity—one of the many tell-tale signs that even experts don't understand what these animals need in order to thrive. To meet the demands of those who keep exotic animals as pets, dealers often have to take the animals from their native lands. This disrupts the ecosystems from which they are stolen, and can disrupt the ecosystems to which they are taken if they escape or are set loose.
Most people who buy exotic animals have no idea what they're getting into. Eventually, the owner may realize it is impossible to meet the animal's needs, and come to understand the inherent cruelty of keeping the animal captive. Even the most well-meaning person can become frustrated after trying to meet to high demands and special needs of a "pet" monkey for 30 years. But, what can a person do? Most shelters aren't equipped to handle exotic animals. Reputable zoos won't take them—and the dealer won't take the animal back! There are a few sanctuaries for exotic animals, but space is very limited.
In the face of so few options, some people will set the animal loose—which is dangerous and illegal. The animal can spread diseases to native species, or could kill native animals and free-roaming pets. Setting the animal loose is also cruel to the animal, since he or she is not adapted for the habitat. Ultimately, local governments and taxpayers bear enormous responsibility when exotic animals are set loose or escape and must be recaptured, or when they are seized due to neglect or because they are endangering the community.

EDUCATION, NOT MANIPULATION..

The Law
The government responds to the problems posed by exotic animals kept as pets, but the laws often are inadequate. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have each opposed certain exotic animals as pets. Some state and local laws prohibit the sale or keeping of exotic animals. Other states require that a person obtain a license. Still other states have no laws.
Unfortunately, the government is often only able to do too little, too late, as dealers and disreputable pet stores adapt to avoid the law. For example, in the early 1970s, the FDA banned the distribution and sale of baby red-eared slider turtles after a quarter of a million children were diagnosed with salmonella contracted from turtles. However, the sale of turtles with shells larger than four inches was not outlawed, and it is still easy to buy baby turtles illegally.
Even though the government does try to help, we have to rely on our own common sense and ethics to prevent the cruelty and damage that owning an exotic animal causes. Exotic animals are not good pets. Let's concentrate on saving these animals’ natural homes—not removing the animals from them!

Well you know what they say, "Common sense is not all that common," which I find very fitting to describe this whole segment.

/End rant

[WarriorPrincess90]

Okay..
1. Who are these experts? I'm not disagreeing with the statistics as I have no idea where they came from. However, considering the amount of utter BS in this article, I am apt to call shenanigans. There is no accountability. I could publish a paper saying 99% of domestic cats are sustained by the blood of young children, "according to experts."

Fantastic write up. That bit especially cracked me up.

[foxoftherose]

There are so many logic bombs in that article... Here is a less polite, less coherent, and less thorough version of Decensored's post. Please don't take my ramblings to mean that I don't like normal pets. I have two cats, and they mean the world to me. I just enjoy pointing out hypocrisy.
Would you keep a cat in a fish bowl? Or a hamster in a horse stable? Would you feed rabbit chow to your dog, or try to train a snake to sit? Yes, these are silly—even dangerous—things to do. Unfortunately, people do something similar when they keep exotic animals as pets.

Honey bears, sugar gliders, corn snakes, green iguanas, black panthers, rosy boas, flying squirrels, bearded dragons, veiled chameleons, spotted pythons, leopard geckos, even poison dart frogs and pot-bellied pigs—these are just some of the exotic animals people sell as pets. It may be easy to buy an exotic animal, but it is not a good idea. It is bad for the animals, bad for us and bad for the environment. And although it may be borderline legal to sell some of these animals, in many places it is illegal to buy them.
(It is illegal in many places to buy them specifically because of people like this)
It's Bad for the Animals

Experts believe that it took at least five thousand years, and perhaps longer than ten thousand years, for wolves to evolve into dogs. So, there are thousands of years of difference between a wild and a domestic animal. Domesticated animals like dogs and cats don't do well without people, and wild and exotic animals don't do well with people.
(I'm sorry, have you not SEEN the number of feral cats and dogs? Why is so little made of the ecological destruction caused by these more beloved animals. Remember, they aren't native either.)

In addition, the little we do know of the needs of exotic animals shows us that we simply cannot meet these needs in captivity. Many monkeys, birds, and wild cats, for example, all can travel several miles in a single day. A walk on a leash through the park won't cut it. Since the vast majority of people who keep exotic animals cannot meet their needs, the animals may be caged, chained, or even beaten into submission. Sometimes, people will have an animal's teeth or claws removed, so that the animal cannot harm the owner even when he does struggle.
(Cannot is not the same as will not. I could tell you the basic care for all of the herps that you just listed, so very obviously this information is not as difficult to find as you think. Also, caging is not cruelty, and is usually for the animal's safety as much as anything else)

Malnutrition, stress, trauma, and behavioral disorders are common in exotics kept as pets. Unfortunately, getting medical care is extremely difficult—and not just because it may be illegal to have them. For one, many exotic animals hide symptoms of illness. And even when illness is suspected, finding a proper vet could require a visit to the zoo. It's not easy to find a vet to treat your sugar glider's salmonella or your lemur's herpes!
(Malnutrition, stress, trauma, and behavioral disorders are also very common in conventional pets as well as humans. Same goes for hiding symptoms of illness)
It's Bad for Us

As one dealer of exotic animals put it, "If it walks, crawls, slithers or flies, chances are we have it." That's true of diseases, too. Estimates vary, but experts agree that at least one in three reptiles harbors salmonella and shigella. The percentage of reptiles with salmonella is probably 77 to 90 percent. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that 90 percent of imported green iguanas carry "some strain of intestinal bacteria."
("Some strain of intestinal bacteria". That line is a thing of beauty, because a healthy human will also carry many strains of intestinal bacteria, making this statement irrefutable.)

Renquist and Whitney (1987) give an excellent summary of many of the diseases that primates alone can transmit to people. They report that up to 25 percent of both imported and domestically bred macaques have or have had the herpes B virus.

Here is a partial list of diseases with which exotic animals can infect humans: chlamydia, giardia, hepatitis A, rabies, ringworm, tuberculosis, measles, monkey pox, marburg virus, molloscum contagiosum, dermatophytosis, candidiasis, streptothricosis, yaba virus, campylobacteriosis, klebsiella and amebiasis; as well as infections from various nematodes, cestodes and arthropods. Although some of these diseases are not life-threatening, some are very serious, even fatal.
(And you're under the impression that humans and normal pets don't carry and transmit many of these as well? What do you suggest we do, lock ourselves inside our homes and avoid contact with all other life?)
If the bugs don't hurt us, the bites will. Exotic animals, by definition, are not domesticated. Exotic animals are unpredictable. Their behavior may change with seasons or life cycles in ways we don't understand. They rarely bond with their owners. Pet primates, big cats and reptiles have attacked and seriously injured their owners, unsuspecting neighbors and bystanders.
(How do you suppose domesticated animals became domesticated? They started out as 'exotics'. Certainly, there are aspects that we don't understand, but how else do we learn, if not by observing. I can't remember the source, but many more people are injured by cats, dogs, and horses than by any of these other animals that you mention, even taking into account the population difference.)
It's Bad for the Environment

Where do exotic animals come from? It is very hard to breed most exotic pets in captivity—one of the many tell-tale signs that even experts don't understand what these animals need in order to thrive. To meet the demands of those who keep exotic animals as pets, dealers often have to take the animals from their native lands. This disrupts the ecosystems from which they are stolen, and can disrupt the ecosystems to which they are taken if they escape or are set loose.
(Once more, how do we learn without experience?)
Most people who buy exotic animals have no idea what they're getting into. Eventually, the owner may realize it is impossible to meet the animal's needs, and come to understand the inherent cruelty of keeping the animal captive. Even the most well-meaning person can become frustrated after trying to meet to high demands and special needs of a "pet" monkey for 30 years. But, what can a person do? Most shelters aren't equipped to handle exotic animals. Reputable zoos won't take them—and the dealer won't take the animal back! There are a few sanctuaries for exotic animals, but space is very limited.
(Yes, there are very few exotic sanctuaries, but this is in part because your organization refuses to care for and rehome exotics.)

In the face of so few options, some people will set the animal loose—which is dangerous and illegal. The animal can spread diseases to native species, or could kill native animals and free-roaming pets. Setting the animal loose is also cruel to the animal, since he or she is not adapted for the habitat. Ultimately, local governments and taxpayers bear enormous responsibility when exotic animals are set loose or escape and must be recaptured, or when they are seized due to neglect or because they are endangering the community.
(Dogs kill many free roaming pets, and cats have a catastrophic effect on local wildlife populations, but I see no mention of these animals.)
The Law

The government responds to the problems posed by exotic animals kept as pets, but the laws often are inadequate. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have each opposed certain exotic animals as pets. Some state and local laws prohibit the sale or keeping of exotic animals. Other states require that a person obtain a license. Still other states have no laws.

Unfortunately, the government is often only able to do too little, too late, as dealers and disreputable pet stores adapt to avoid the law. For example, in the early 1970s, the FDA banned the distribution and sale of baby red-eared slider turtles after a quarter of a million children were diagnosed with salmonella contracted from turtles. However, the sale of turtles with shells larger than four inches was not outlawed, and it is still easy to buy baby turtles illegally.

Even though the government does try to help, we have to rely on our own common sense and ethics to prevent the cruelty and damage that owning an exotic animal causes. Exotic animals are not good pets. Let's concentrate on saving these animals’ natural homes—not removing the animals from them!

[eskye]

I can understand the point of the page being "We don't want idiots with exotic pets" given invasive species issues and the like (though more are accidental invasions through shipping rather than the pet trade).

But, as everyone here should be able to easily tell, there is so much bullpucky there that I don't even want to waste my time and anger on it. Seriously, corn snakes and leopard geckos next to black panthers? Next they're going to compare keeping a betta as the equivalent of stuffing a human into a box and keeping it. Whatever ASPCA. You, PETA, the USDA, and every place else are doing it wrong!