I read the whole thing, and I'm not surprised... actually, it's quite tame. Watch even the trailer for the movie 'Earthlings' and you'll see how callous - if not downright evil - some 'people' can be. I don't know what to do to stop it. I'm very proud to work for Durrell however, as they have solid policies that include never 'getting rid' of an animal, only moving them on if they are going to excellent facilities. Eva, the maned wolf at Durrell is old, single and no further 'use' for captive breeding, but she is as good as loved, cared for and given privacy, shelter and space to live out her days. Likewise Barbara and Wolfgang, the Andean bears... past breeding age, but treated as well as ever, with no thought of them ever 'leaving', until their time on this mortal coil reaches a natural coda. They never sell animals, either. It's so nice to be with an organisation that lives by such ethics, even in the face of commercial pressures.
I'm not knocking, because I see nothing wrong with the practice, I love the zoo, and the man ranks alongside Bruce Springsteen and Julius Nyerere in my catalogue of heroes, but these comments do lead me to reflect on the fact that Jersey Zoo was founded by someone whose very business was the selling of wild animals...
And I wish you hadn't... whatever the subject, it's really bad form to cut and paste someone's article in its entirety to another website. An excerpt and a link would suffice, otherwise it's a breach of copyright. It's an area I feel quite strongly about as it's happened to me quite a few times over the years.
One good point in the article is that the ignorant should not own exotic animals. However all the shouting and screaming about what ignorant idiots do simply makes life dificult for those who do have the knowledge. The success stories and those who live a wonderful long life with a family are never told. Rather than go on about how bad it is to have exotic animals all people who want a pet of ANY kind should have to apply for a license, know the nutritional, vetcare, behavioural, and space requierments of the animals they wish to keep (as well as the dangers involved) and get certified to own what they qualified for and nothing more. If you want to get a pet cougar (bad idea, they do bite) then get a license that says you know what you in for and CAN care for it. True idiots would probably qualify for nothing more complex than a goldfish, those who are better prepared may well be a wonderful home for a lemur or a bushbaby or even (at a push) a large carnivore. Abuse of exotic animals is not special, dogs and cats are abused just as often and in many cases out of ignorance. If this was limited to only exotic animals you may have a point but its not. A nice example of how easy ignorance can kill is my pet quails. Its a quail, one would assume that some chicken grains are enough to keep them healthy and happy, the breeder never said anything to imply otherwise. A quick google search when they arrived home showed that this species of quail needs a minimum 16% protien in its diet and a constant supply of greens. How many people research the pet they just brought home? I was lucky I did, how many of their siblings have died because their new owners havent?
Obscure article about what's happening with surplus animals.....: The Shocking Truth About What Happens to ‘Surplus’ Zoo Animals | One Green Planet
