Can Wild Animals Make Good Pets?

One of the largest and most dangerous mistakes animal lovers can make is believing that wild animals can be tamed and domesticated as pets like cats or dogs. It took thousands of years for man's best friend to evolve from wolves, so if you think that baby tiger cub wants to be snuggled, guess again. Even our family friend is responsible for four and a half million bites annually. Baby animals are very cute, and one thing is for sure, they grow up into mature adults with different dispositions. For millennia, animals have thrived in the wilderness devoid of human influence, and they're not suited to living in houses or pens, much less near people. Tony the Tiger might have inspired us as kids, but unfortunately, having a real-life jungle cat in your living room would not be a GRRRREAT situation.

Animals in the wild have very specific behaviors and ways of communicating with one another that are primally understood and necessary for survival. These unspoken cues are often missed by people who are not properly trained, and the results can be disastrous. Not only that, but things we do normally can be taken as a provocation, such as sudden movements, staring into the animal's eyes, or tempting them with food. In 2003, in Harlem, New York, a man with bite injuries to his arm and leg was found by police in the lobby of a 19 story apartment building. After an anonymous tip, police found a 500 pound Bengal Tiger and a 3-foot alligator in his apartment. Authorities guessed that he got the tiger as a cub, and it lived with him for two years. 

For many wild creatures, their natural diets consist of indigenous plants, insects, and other animals that are unavailable at your local pet shop. These items provide specialized nutrition, and when lacking, it can greatly affect the animal's health, leading to an increased susceptibility to disease, malnutrition, and death. It has been reported that 90% of exotic pets are fed insufficient diets. Even when purchased from a pet store, 75% of reptiles die with the first year. Conversely, feeding them too much of the wrong food can also lead to obesity, which in turn puts a strain on bones, ligaments, and organs.

Wild animals require much more care than domestic animals, and as a pet, we can't recreate their natural environment. When a creature normally roams free and is now held in a cage or other enclosure, this setting affects their mental state, negatively impacting their socialization, happiness, instincts, and more. Their diets may also suffer as the stress of being enclosed suppresses their appetites, which in extreme cases can even lead to cases of animal anorexia nervosa and an array of other medical issues. As pets, they are called "exotic," which is merely an aesthetic change that doesn't reflect the cruelty of removing an animal from the wild and imprisoning it as a pet.

Between 1990 and 2021, there have been 91 deaths directly caused by so-called exotic pets, and over 1,300 exotics have escaped. There is no telling how many injuries occurred because it is unlikely that a bite from an illegally acquired animal gets reported, but it is estimated that there are 30 incidents yearly involving big cats. Attacks are not the only danger. Many of the animals taken from the wild are intentionally mislabeled as having come from captivity or smuggled in. Upon arrival, they can spread salmonella, polio, tuberculosis, Ebola, SARS, and more. In fact, it has been shown that about 75% of new infectious diseases are animal-borne.

When buying a wild animal as a pet, many people don't consider that the animal may have endured misery during their capture, transportation, and sale. It is believed that most animals that are caught don't make it to auctions or points of sale. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, International Affairs, the black-market trade of exotic animals is a multi-billion dollar industry. That same service is also the United States watchdog, so add breaking the law to the list of negatives.

Exotic pets often prove too difficult for untrained owners to handle, and rather than go through proper channels to give it up, they release it into the wild. This carelessness is how green iguanas and pythons took over South Florida, and Eurasian collared doves got to Illinois. The bottom line is, keeping a wild animal as a pet is a big NO.

If you're in Northern Illinois and you've got less than exotic critters digging up your property or causing damage, it's time to call Wildlife Services for help. Contact us today for an estimate.