Wild animals might have captured the hearts of most animal-lovers who look for companions. However, keeping them as pets can come with hidden costs, both for the people and the animals.
Wild animals have lived for a long time without any interference of humans. They are also adapted for survival in wild environments. If they are brought to human environment, there surely be some troubles as they are not well adapted there.
Wild animals are not allowed to be used in circus too. Read more about it in wild animals banned in circus: how’s their mental health condition.
There are some reasons why we shouldn’t raise wild animals as pets at home. Let these reasons open our eyes that wild animals still can survive even if we don’t take them as our pets.
- It will endanger their species
There are some animals that belong to the world’s endangered species. There are some reasons why they are considered endangered, such as devastation from the international pet trade, habitat destruction and others.
By taking the wild animals as your pets, you will surely endanger the species. Avoid keeping these endangered animals of Southeast Asia and endangered birds around the world.
Besides, there is an enormous global demand for some wild and exotic animals which lead to illegal capture and trade of million animals. As a result, their species may get extinct.
Wild animals naturally live in the wild environment without any influence of humans. Keeping them as pets may be dangerous for you. They can bite, scratch and attack you and your family members.
Animal owners will be responsible for any damage, injuries or illness caused by the animals they keep as pets. Besides, finding larger house to handle those animals can be difficult too.
Raising any species of wild animal in captivity is against the law. That goes for baby crocodiles and monkeys from illegal pet trade as well as bunnies from your backyard!
Many countries, states and cities ordinances prohibit the ownership of wild animals as pets too. Make sure you know the law.
Related to the reason “you could get hurt”, many wild animals can be carriers for some diseases, such as raccoons and skunks which are carriers for rabies Also read facts you might not know about rabies on dog. Unfortunately, they don’t show any symptoms.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are tens of thousands of people get salmonella infections from wild reptiles or amphibians every year. Bringing wild animals and keeping them as pets may not be a good idea for you and your whole family.
- They won’t stay little forever
Baby animals are cute, and they are really hard to resist. They may seem to be dependent upon others for survival. However, without you realize, within a few months, they will grow up and their natural instincts will kick in. They may start to bite, scratch, tear up your furniture and even worse than those.
Many people who have tried raising wild animals as pets decide to release them back into the wild. This may bring bad impact to the animals too as they don’t develop their critical skills to survive in the wild, such as hunting for food or evading predators.
- They may not need your rescue
You may see the animals get abandoned in the wild, however, in fact, they don’t. They might be separated from their mothers or young because they don’t want to draw attention or some other reasons. They may not need your help at all!
If you see any wild animals are in trouble, avoid taking them by yourself. Instead, call a local wildlife center to ask for an advice. Don’t bring them home as it won’t help them at all.
- Your home is not their home
Wild animals have complex behavioral, social, nutritional and psychological needs. We, humans, mostly cannot meet the needs of wild animals we keep as pets. Instead, wild animals should be with the members of their species.
After reading all those reasons above, then you may start thinking what kind of animals can be kept as pets. Dogs, domestic cats, guinea pigs, domestic rats and mice, common hamsters, domestic rabbits and some other animals can be kept as pets. They are safe to be kept as pets at home.
If you wish to have a pet at home, you can visit a local shelter. There are millions of cats and dogs which are destroyed each year because they don’t have any homes. Why you should adopt a dog from a dog’s shelter may inspire you to adopt one to be kept at home.