Should People Be Allowed to Keep Exotic Animals

Theres no such thing as a manageable venomous snake if the owner is uneducated and inexperienced

I agree that there should be some sort of rules and regulations for keeping those type of exotic animals but who should be the ones to enforce those rules? I can't even get the dog warden to return my phone calls on a dog complaint.

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Originally Posted by snake lab

Theres no such thing as a manageable venomous snake if the owner is uneducated and inexperienced

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I said manageable NON venomous snakes.

honestly i'm saddened by the news of those creatures escaping & having to be killed as a result but i'm baffled by something...
the part of the article i noticed was when it said..."the owner was found dead & all the animal cages were opened..."
umm....that concerns me but i didnt get a chance to finish the article.

The whole situation could have been avoided. Not only has this guy been on police radar for years. Everytime animal control would go to his house he would threaten to open the cages and let them go. The police and animal control could have seized those animals a while ago. Its sad. And now look how many animals died because of ignorance

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Originally Posted by SpartaDog

2010, one year: 34 fatal dog attacks in the US.
1990 - 2008, 18 years: 8 fatal large constrictor attacks in the US.

I see a pattern.

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according to the APPA, there are 46.3 Million households that own dogs in the US, not to mention the loads of strays out there.

There are 5 million households that own reptiles in general, and I am willing to bet most of them don't have "large" constrictors, so the actual # is much smaller. My point is there is a MUCH greater chance of there being a dog attack.

Even though I believe people should be allowed to keep large reptiles, so I probably agree with the point you were trying to make. I just don't agree with how you tried to make it. You cant put one up against the other just due to shear numbers.

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Originally Posted by llovelace

I'm sure that this poll, comes on the heels of the death at the animal refuge. That's the deaths of 2 owners over the years & animals released, it's funny how they sre saying his death may be a suicide, and he himself released the animals.
The other owner was found hooded & bound.
I don't put anything past the fanatics such as peta, they have already proven that they are capable of murder.

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What incident are you talking about? Surely not the one that just happened in Ohio? To my knowledge no one was bound and hooded, at least I have not seen anything saying such. The man did release his animals and then committed suicide. He released his animals so that they would attack and kill his neighbors.

Personally I am on the fence also with the ownership of exotics. I really don't think that just anyone should own big primates, bears or big cats. If someone owned 100's of acres of land and can provide top quality habitats and care to rival the best zoos. If they have the resources to take care of them the way they should be, then by all means get the training and certifications that should be required. Then renew the licenses and training annually and take care of these majestic beasts the way they deserve.

Now I don't think that all exotics should be listed in the same category. There should be regulations that every one should follow. If you own hots then you should be certified to do so. You should be responsible. Your animals should be microchiped. You should have antivenom for anything you own sitting at your nearest emergency center. If you own giant snakes such as Anacondas, Retics or Burms you should have to be registered and your animals chiped so that if said animals end up in the wild that person can be held liable.

We should be regulated to an extent. It would keep the idiots that want to end "exotic" pet ownership away. If we were regulated and done properly then they would have no grounds to stand on.
Just my 2 cents. Not every one should own what ever they so choose. Stupid is as stupid does.

This whack job repeatedly made these threats to law enforcement and animal control in the past. This is why law enforcement takes the blame on this one. It is amazing to me how law enforcement knew of the threat and knew this guy was a threat would allow this to happen. Not to mention he had been convicted already for animal cruelty. It just boggles the mind. And the only animals that got tranqualized were the ones found on the property near or still in enclosures. I bowhunt in muskingum and licking county in ohio and i talked to my outfitter last night and he said the cops treated it like the wild west. They were on a shoot to kill mission, not a try and save mission. Its sad on so many levels.

The issue is, "exotic" is a catch all term for anything that isn't a dog, cat, mouse, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, or rat. Birds, reptiles, amphibians, and most fish species all all considered exotic, yet are easily bought at pet stores. Hell, even rare breeds of cattle/sheep/goats are considered exotic.