#illegal pets

It’s completely illegal outside of a zoo setting. We have no native non-human primates, and keeping one as a pet would be viewed somewhere between a bit weird and abhorrent.

- Dr Ferox

Prynhawn,

Vets in the United States definitely condemn keeping primates as pets, and so does most of the general public. (You can find an example of the laws regarding owning primates here)

There’s also the movie industry, which has a lot of complicated politics about how primate “actors” are perceived, and how featuring primates on screen adds to the illegal pet trade that runs rampant in the States.

We’ve established that keeping primates as pets is illegal, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen. The black market for exotic pets is a huge thing in the US, and if you have enough money and know the right people you can pretty much get what you want. Here’s some information about that:

Basic information/psa

How the primate pet trade started

Trafficked monkeys coming from Peru

More on the exotic pet trade

Primates are not pets

Because I also come from the other side of the pond, I’ve looked up some sources on how the UK is dealing with it, and you can find those here:

UK wildlife crime map

UK government’s efforts to stop the illegal wildlife trade

The Royal Family on illegal wildlife trade

Wildlife trade around the world

I think that any vet would agree with Dr. Ferox when she says that primates should not be kept as pets. In fact, most people would. If I ever encountered someone who had a monkey as a pet I would be more than a little worried, and would definitely look into what authorities to contact to ensure the welfare of the animal. 

I’m tiered of seeing those “aesthetic” Instagram videos featuring exotic animals popping up on my dashboard. 

This one in particular really got to me. When I took a look at the notes on the video I was surprised by the number of people who praised it vs the almost non-existent amount of those who criticized it. 

As pretty as this may look these tigers are not living happy lives. You can see the city buildings in the background-my guess is Dubai or Qatar. Whoever owns these probably has too much money and doesn't know (or care about) the moral implications of having these tigers in captivity. 

FURTHERMORE

White tigers are incredibly inbred and unhealthy animals kept alive only to make profit off. I won’t go into detail but here is a good explanation of just how immoral it is to keep breeding white tigers.

Steps to Find an Exotic Pet

Ever considered a pet a little more unusual than the typical cat, dog, guinea pig or pet mouse? For some pet owners, exotic pets are the only way to go but they do require specific care and maintenance and, in some countries and states, many are illegal. An exotic animal in Australia is any animal that is non-native. Here are some tips on keeping exotic animals as pets, from Kevin Davies, the Pet…

some lady in anoka county...

^ right there

...nearly shit her pants when she went out to her mailbox and saw a giant ass alligator outside

and what's more, this apparently happens EVERY YEAR IN MINNESOTA.

you fucking morons, alligators cannot live here. you want gators? move to florida, you'll get your share! and you won't even have to kidnap them.

you know what happened to this one? it was shot.