naturalpet
Forbidden Creatures Author Peter Laufer On the Dark Side of “Owning” Exotic Pets
by Gail Condrick
What can animal lovers do?
P
eter Laufer, Ph.D., is the James Wallace Chair in Journalism
at the University of Or- egon School of Journalism and Communications, a broadcaster and the author of 12 books. His latest, Forbidden Creatures, exposes the illegal network of hunters, traders, breed- ers and customers who are negatively impacting the lives of exotic animals, humans and the environment.
In Forbidden Creatures, as you explored people’s fascina- tion with collecting exotic and forbidden animals, what
did you find? Many of us like to think that humans are the ultimate animal, and that we can tame the rest of nature. My re- search for the book introduced me to an engaging cast of characters, many of who fan- tasized not just about commun- ing with exotic beasts, but con- trolling them. Such dreams can
dissolve into night- mares in seconds and without warn- ing. Exotic animals are collected and
22 San Diego Edition
owned by celebrities, criminals and your neigh- bors. In fact, there are more captive-bred tigers in private homes in Texas
than in the wild in India. I found a tiger in the back of a feed store in Idaho, a colony of chimpanzees in the country- side south of St. Louis and laundry bags full of pythons at a former missile base in the Everglades. There are legal auc- tions of exotic animals from aardvarks to zebras in Missouri, and sales of black market chimps on the Internet.
You have stated that illegal trading of wild and protected animals is growing exponen-
tially; how profitable is this? Wild animal trafficking profits are estimated by Interpol to be $10 billion to $20 billion a year. It’s the third most lucrative illegal business in the world, trailing only drugs and weapons smug- gling. It is easy to accomplish, the risks of capture are slim and penalties are minimal. Many amateurs also bring in animals for their own pleasure, based on their personal fascination for the exotic. Legal trade in endangered animals
also exists, along with trade that skirts the law. It is the illegal wildlife trade that further threatens already endan- gered species and creates a crisis for survival.
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Education is needed to make conscious choices. Most of the people who collect exotics are ignorant of the long-term im- pact of owning these animals. The cute and cuddly tiger cub or baby chimp may look like an entertaining pet now, but what about the future? What will this animal be like in six months or six years?
When animals reach their adoles-
cence and full body weight, we must ask: How will they be cared for and what will their lives be like? Chimps and other great apes grow to be stron- ger than a man, are overtly dangerous and must be corralled. Pythons can grow to 20 feet, endangering other pets and humans. Often, people cannot keep up with the expenses of the food and care, and release the animals to sanctuaries or simply drop them off in the wild. This creates further repercus- sions for society and the environment. The reality is that exotic pets will
not live happily in confinement. There are many terrifying and heartbreaking stories of cap- tive animals attacking and even killing their owners after years of mutual af- fection. No one knows what makes the wild side emerge to di- sastrous results.
How many exotic animals are
there in the United States? No one knows the answer, because there is no census of exotic pets and the legal enforcement issues differ from state to state and by locality. In fact, while we licensed dogs, we have no overarching law governing exotics, or even a national registry of owners. This remains a great frustration to many people and organizations working for the benefit of the animals.
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