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AZA atatck on private ownership Again
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by tigers9 on February 19, 2009
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WHO is talking now, AZA??? More people got killed by animals in AZA than non AZA facilities in the last few years, grrr...can u see the poster child for HYPOCRISY? Yes, the latest chimp attack is horrible, but it is a rare occurrence.
Z
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/02/prweb2122254.htm
Why Wild Animals Don't Make Good Pets
Exotic creatures like chimpanzees, pythons, kinkajous and scarlet macaws have captured the hearts of animal-lovers looking for companions; but keeping exotic animals as pets can come with hidden costs, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
(Vocus) February 19, 2009 -- Exotic creatures like chimpanzees, pythons, kinkajous and scarlet macaws have captured the hearts of animal-lovers looking for companions; but keeping exotic animals as pets can come with hidden costs - both for people and animals. Wild animals have lived for thousands of years without the direct influence of humans. They are adapted for survival in complex, wild environments. They are not well adapted to living with humans or in a house.
What's wrong with having a wild animal as a pet?
• You can't provide the right home for them.
Wild animals have complex behavioral, social, nutritional and psychological needs. Most people cannot meet the needs of wild animals kept as pets. Wild animals need to be with members of their own species.
• Apes are a special concern.
Apes, including chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, and gibbons, are intelligent, sensitive, and highly social animals. As our closest living relatives, they are fascinating, and ape infants are appealing. These attributes make apes popular as performers in commercial entertainment, advertising programs and, sometimes, pets. But this popularity and attractiveness masks the often cruel and dangerous practices commonly required for making apes compliant in such appearances. When kept as pets, apes can unexpectedly cause severe injury when natural instincts trigger fear, aggression, or other powerful responses. (see: http://www.aza.org/AboutAZA/presentanimalspolicy/ )
• Taking them from the wild can endanger the species.
Parrots are the world's most endangered family of birds due to devastation from the international pet trade. The enormous global demand for these and other exotic pets is fueling the illegal capture and trade of millions of birds, mammals and reptiles annually, most of which die while being captured or transported.
• You could get hurt.
Keeping wild animals as pets can be dangerous. Many can bite, scratch, and attack an owner, children, or guests. Animal owners can be legally responsible for any damage, injuries or illnesses caused by animals they maintain. Finding new homes for large, hard-to-handle animals can be difficult, if not impossible, particularly since most zoos are unable to accept them.
• You could get sick.
Wild animals can carry diseases dangerous or fatal to humans. Diseases include rabies, distemper, herpes viruses, salmonella, polio, tuberculosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and bubonic plague. Wild animals also harbor parasites, such as intestinal worms and protozoa.
• It would probably be illegal.
Many state, county and city ordinances prohibit the ownership of wild animals as pets.
What types of animals do make good pets?
• Dogs, domestic cats, guinea pigs, domestic rats and mice, domestic gerbils, common hamsters, domestic rabbits, domestic chinchillas.
• Interesting insects like African millipedes or Hissing cockroaches.
• Responsibly captive-bred parakeets, canaries, cockatiels, doves, and pigeons.
• Responsibly captive-bred reptiles and amphibians such as red-footed tortoises, lizards (bearded dragons, leopard geckos), snakes (corn snakes, king snakes, ball pythons) and frogs (White's tree frog, ornate horned frog, fire-bellied toad, red-eyed tree frog).
• Tropical fish that are captive-raised or collected from sustainable wild populations make good pets. Look for certification of sustainability from the Marine Aquarium Council when you buy tropical fish for your home aquarium.
Visit a shelter
• Millions of dogs and cats are destroyed each year because they don't have homes. Shelter directories such as PetFinder are excellent places to find adoptable animals near you.
Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting an institution dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, the AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.
###
Contact Information
Jackie Marks
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
http://www.aza.org/
301.562.0777 +236
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RE: AZA atatck on private ownership Again
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by pictigaster1 on February 19, 2009
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Wow It is so funny those furry puppies.They grow up to be mans best friend.One would never hurt man.Yea right.It amazes me that so many people know whats best for me.In my town over the last few years there have been several dog related deaths.Not a single snake related death yet.I love dogs but I really love snakes.I have both.I some times wonder where the standard is being set.Surely not by what is truly dangerous .
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RE: AZA atatck on private ownership Again
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by Buzztail1 on February 19, 2009
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Misrepresentation at its best.
The AZA did not go seeking the press to attack owners of exotics.
The press in every nook and cranny of this country, trying to make a dime off of this tragic story, turned around and contacted every local zoo and the AZA to get them to make comment.
Every zoo and the AZA has an official public stance on the private ownership of exotics.
Everything that was said in this article is the truth. Specifically:
"Most people cannot meet the needs of wild animals kept as pets."
She didn't say "No private individual..." or "Only zoos can ..."
Sorry, but I don't see this as an attack by AZA. It is a requested response stating the positional stance of the AZA. Pretty much like when someone advertising on our site gets busted selling snakes illegally and the press says "Hey Chris Harper, how do you feel about so-and-so from your site getting busted?" and he says exactly what is listed on the "About the SHHS" page. Sound unlikely? Ask him if it hasn't happened!
R/
Karl
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RE: AZA atatck on private ownership Again
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by tigers9 on February 19, 2009
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Karl, just because press asked AZA did NOT have to respond.
AAAAAnywayyyyyy, thsi statement, where is the proof?:
<<"Most people cannot meet the needs of wild animals kept as pets."
>>
considering big cats or monkeys/apes live 2x as long in private captivity as in the wild and reproduce (tigers) like rabbits, I would say their needs are met and MORE
No animal will breed and reproduce unless the conditions are optimal.
Z
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RE: AZA atatck on private ownership Again
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by pictigaster1 on February 19, 2009
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I dont know if I would call it an attack ,The wording simply states that private owners are not able to provide proper care.All this does is reinforce the A.R.position that exotics are a true danger.Every day its another story or another state with a bill.Someone who is aza does not make them an expert on private owner ship.Yet politicians will listen to them long before they will ever listen to us. We could not possibly know whats best for us,after we keep the dangerous animals that get out and kill and maim the public.When a zoo does it ,its a contractor who did not make the wall high enough.,or a faulty gate lock .The individual institution almost never takes responsibility .At that point it is used as a pivot point to redirect the finger at private owners.Pay attention and you can see it happens every time.
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RE: AZA attack on private ownership Again
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by Buzztail1 on February 20, 2009
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Sorry but to say
"just because press asked AZA did NOT have to respond"
is just ridiculous.
They were asked. Now you want to infringe on their rights of free speech?
"AAAAAnywayyyyyy, thsi statement, where is the proof?:"
"Most people cannot meet the needs of wild animals kept as pets."
This one is a matter of reading comprehension.
Lets break it down by considering the opposite of what was said.
Do you then believe that "Most people can (opposite of cannot) meet the needs of wild animals kept as pets."?
Really?
It DOES NOT SAY "Most people who keep wild animals as pets..."
It DOES SAY "Most people ..."
Sorry but you can walk through almost any neighborhood in the country and see the truth of this carefully worded statement. It fits right in with "Most people do not keep wild animals as pets." and "Most people keep dogs and cats as pets."
And if you believe that "Most people" are safe to keep tigers then there is not much more for us to discuss because that is insane.
As for this: "No animal will breed and reproduce unless the conditions are optimal." you might want to check the accuracy of that.
R/
Karl
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RE: AZA attack on private ownership Again
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by tigers9 on February 20, 2009
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Karl/Buzztail, read the AZA press headline:
<<Why Wild Animals Don't Make Good Pets>>
The press specifically targets PETS and from now on readers will subconsciously apply all the claims against exotic pets . I would say that most exotic animals make better pets than most domestics. Most domestics are big animals and need agricultural zoning, such as horses. Most exotics are rather small and harmless, such as birds, herps, fish….
Horses are a rather high mainatnance animals when it comes to feeding and exercise, so horses are easy to become neglected, so I would day in many cases exotics are easier to keep.
I never said AZA shouldn’t have responded and that they have no free speech, I said they had a choice to NOT respond, or they also had a choice to respond with something more intelligent and balanced instead of the AR crap that will one day be used against them by AR as well.
I honestly can’t say if most people would be good or bad exotic owners, as I have no data to back up such a claim taken out of the magic hat.
I never said most people are safe to keep tigers.
For some reason many people when they hear the word exotic pet imagine tigers or lions. The truth is majority of exotics kept are small, so next time you hear a very broad term wild/exotic pet, THINK SMALL.
Z
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RE: AZA atatck on private ownership Again
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by Pug on February 20, 2009
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Ladies & Gentlemen:
Many of us abhor the thought of your average citizen keeping venomous reptiles, yet we consider ourselves exceptions. We rail against AZA's position because we feel that it threatens to impinge on our ability to keep the animals we choose to. We are ostensably knowledgeable and safety conscious. We know that our deadly captives are not "pets."
The average American who knows little or nothing about, let's say kinkajous, thinks they're precious looking and buys one. When it grown up and the little darling starts taking chunks out of its proud "parent," everybody suffers.
Escalate that to chimpanzee, an animal strong enough to rip your arm off. Again, as we recently saw on TV (over and over again!), nobody wins.
While the AZA position may not in its entirety be palatable to all, it makes some good points.
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RE: AZA atatck on private ownership Again
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by tigers9 on February 20, 2009
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Nobody is born cobra keeper or lion tamer, we are all born naked and are your average citizen, we all have the same start in world.
If I ever get hypocritical about keeping exotics ( i can you can't), please shoot me;-)
If AZA had a virginally clean record, that would be one thign, but their latest injury and fatality record is actually rather bad, so they need to shut up.
Anyway, the chimp owner messed up, she should have had taser, pepper spray, CO2 on hand,too late now......but this is a rare incident, so far at least in the last 20 yeasr nobody was killed in the USA by captive non human primate, so WTF.
AZA shouldn't be slamming all exotic owners over this rare incident. Simply WRONG.
Z
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RE: AZA attack on private ownership Again
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by Buzztail1 on February 20, 2009
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I guess we are just going to have to agree to disagree on this.
I do not feel my position is hypocritical in the least. I believe in permitting systems. I believe that animals must be maintained in a manner that other people are not endangered.
"If AZA had a virginally clean record, that would be one thign, but their latest injury and fatality record is actually rather bad, so they need to shut up."
Is again naive. The AZA does not keep animals. It is an organization that oversees organizations that do keep animals and it tries to establish standards that are good for the animals and the people observing them and working with them. Most, but not all, incidents that occur at AZA accredited facilities are due to some failure to meet the established standards.
To put it in perspective: The SHHS has members who have been arrested for illegal keeping of venomous reptiles. But, our organization still has the position that we do not support the illegal keeping of venomous reptiles. Should we shut up? I certainly hope not!
"so far at least in the last 20 yeasr nobody was killed in the USA by captive non human primate, so WTF."
Check the rest of the stats. There are much worse things than dying. Perhaps by checking a review of the last several chimp attacks in the private sector you will find editorials about trying to reconstruct your life after having your fingers and genitalia bitten off and your face peeled off. Hey, these people didn't die! "so WTF!"
AZA isn't slamming all exotic owners over this rare incident. Simply stating their position because they were asked.
R/
Karl
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