EXotic and Wild Animals Are Not Pets

Presented by The National Humane Education SocietyEXotic andWild AnimalsAre Not PetsExoticanimals are wild animalsnot native toNorth America. Wildanimals are those not specifically bred over many generationsto adapt to humans and their environment.

Although animals such as lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs,jaguars and cougars may seem playful and safewhen young, they grow to become powerful andpotentially dangerous animals as adults. We all haveread about serious and deadly altercations involvingmany of these animals when kept in the home, or incaptivity.Often, the conditions under which exotic and wild animalslive are substandard. State anti-cruelty laws areoften violated by the keepers of these animals.Extreme suffering for the animal is the sad result, aswell as an extreme safety hazard for the community.Documented attempts by members of the general publicto keep wild or exotic animals as pets have led totragedy in many instances for both humans and animals.NHES opposes the keeping of wild and exotic animalsas pets or service animals. NHES also opposes thecapture and breeding of wild or exotic animals for thepurpose of selling them as pets. Only experts withmany years of experience studying and working withwild and exotic animals are capable of caring for andsafely interacting with them. The general public lacksthis expertise and should not attempt to keep wild orexotic animals as pets.Fostering a sentiment of kindness to animalsP.O. Box 340Charles Town, WV 25414-0340304-725-0506www.nhes.org