Dr. Shawn’s Blog

Fatal Attractions-New TV Show Discourages Ownership of Exotic Pets A

March 7, 2010 on 7:40 pm | In General Posts | No Comments

A new TV show on Animal Planet called Fatal Attractions will air next weekend. While I have not had the opportunity to screen an advanced copy, from what I’ve been able to gather it looks like a pretty interesting show. As an expert on exotic animal care, I agree with the premise that wild animals should never be owned as pets.

It is true that some exotic pets, such as smaller reptiles, non-poisonous snakes, birds, and small mammals can make acceptable pets IF the owner is willing to take the time to learn about a particular animal’s behavior and husbandry needs.

However, wild animals such as monkeys, bears, and exotic felines should NEVER be owned as pets. Having worked with some of these animals, I can honestly tell you that they all retain their wild nature. While they can be trained and even habituated to allow human contact, they can never be trusted and any of them can at any moment seriously injure or even kill the people who work with them.

It’s unfortunate that it is very easy and inexpensive to purchase a wild animal. The black market wild animal trade is alive and well, and sadly penalties for people involved in illegally acquiring and shipping wild animals are minimal to nonexistent.

My hope is that viewers of Fatal Attractions will see the seriousness and danger of owning wild animals and will refuse to do so.