Can Wild Animals Be Kept As Pets?

As a principle, The Humane Society of the United States strongly opposes the keeping of exotic and nondomestic animals (wild animals) as pets. Appropriate care for wild animals requires considerable expertise, specialized facilities, and total dedication to the animals' needs. When wild animals are kept as pets, their lives are likely to be filled with misery. Often they languish in a cramped backyard cage or circle endlessly in a cat carrier or aquarium. Their suffering may begin with capture -- every year millions of birds and reptiles suffer and die on the journey from their habitat to the pet store. The wild-pet trade threatens the very existence of some species. With few exceptions, wild animals are difficult or impossible to care for. They often grow to be larger, stronger, and more dangerous than owners expect or can manage. Their nutritional and social needs are generally unknown, and recognizing medical problems is difficult for the untrained individual. They can even pose a ...  more