[Source:  ZOONOOZ 68(1): 8-13, 1995]

JUST SAY NO TO EXOTIC PETS
by Kathi Diamant

For ten years, the magnificent gray-and-white harpy eagle lived
tethered in a backyard in South America. After that, the rare
and endangered bird of prey, one of the largest in the eagle
family, was kept in a cage in a small zoo in Colombia. Then, in
1991, after four years of negotiation with the Colombian govern-
ment, the beautiful harpy eagle was traded to the San Diego Zoo.
While some birds can and do make good pets, Schulenburg
warns that birds that are not captive bred can have lots of prob-
lems. "It is not uncommon for imprinted species--those whose
behavior has been altered in early life so they accept people as
a substitute for their own species--to behave in an abnormal
manner. They will eat their eggs, eat their young, and abandon
their nests."

The real issue, Schulenburg says, is stopping the importation
of birds from the wild. " There are plenty of birds born in captiv-
ity. These can be identified by the seamless, stainless steel bands
around their legs. Never buy a bird without the banding," he
says.

Unfortunately, the popularity of collecting wild animals
from their natural habitats in order to have them as exotic
pets is not limited to the Indians of South America. It consti-
tutes an international problem. Some of the confiscated pets
that now live at the San Diego Zoo include a binturong from
Southeast Asia, a tamandua from Central and South America,
a lesser anteater from Central America, and a cuscus from
New Guinea. These animals were taken as babies from their
habitats and can never go home again. "These animals should never have
been taken out of the wild," says Jody Courtney, senior keeper at the
Children's Zoo. "They are relatively dysfunctional and confused. They
don't know who they are.  They not only have behavorial problems but
medical ones, too."

Meet Rima, an undersized kinkajou that lives in an exhibit behind the
scenes at the Children's Zoo. Kinkajous--members of the raccoon
family--are nocturnal, tree-dwelling carnivores that range from Mexico
to South America. Rima has soft brown fur, large eyes, a long
prehensile tail, and diabetes. The nocturnal Rima was not a good pet.
She dug a hole in the sofa to sleep through the days, and at night she
would come out and destroy things. After she bit his children, the
owner gave her away. It was after the Society's curators agreed to take
Rima--when she was in quarantine--that it was discovered she was not
healthy.

Now Rima, who is half the size of a healthy kinkajou, receives two
injections of insulin daily. Instead of living in the rain forest,
sitting in a tree and eating fruit, she lives in captivity, albeit
lovingly tended and cared for. "She's not going to live a normal life,"
Courtney says sadly. "She has renal dysfunction. The veterinarians will
do all they can for her, but she won't have all the years she could
possibly have lived in the wild."

Rima is lucky that the curators agreed to take her. She is highly
unusual in that she is the only exotic pet at the Zoo not confiscated
by state or federal authorities. Although there are a few sanctuaries
in the United States that do take unwanted exotic pets, the San Diego
Zoo no longer accepts the majority of these pets as donations to the
Zoo. "If we are willing to accept animals that were previously held as
pets, we are essentially providing indirect support to the exotic
pet trade. It is our position that we do not encourage or support the
exotic pet trade," states Carmi Penny, Zoological Society of San Diego
curator of mammals. "Not only that, by keeping those animals, one
could be in violation of the law. Just don't do it," he says.

Senior keeper Jody Courtney concurs wholeheartedly. "People who have
devoted their lives to animals don't believe in exotic animals as pets.
Domestication is a process that takes generations and is not an
attitude or a behavior that can be learned." Courtney continues, "In
the past 22 years at the Zoo, I have been bitten by most of the animals
I have taken care of. I never blame the animal. It is in their
nature--their instincts take over. I honor that about them."

[...]

Hiding deep in a small wooden box is a cuscus named Marmalade, a
perfect description of her coloring. Marmalade, a rare marsupial from
New Guinea, was discovered in a backpack going through customs at the
Los Angeles Airport. Like Rima, Marmalade is nocturnal and very shy.
But she is doing much better in her new home at the Zoo. Because the
cuscus is an endangered species and very rare in captivity, a male has
been found as a mate for her, and she is now part of a breeding
program.

Also living behind the scenes at the Children's Zoo is a 45-pound
binturong from Southeast Asia that was discovered in the backseat of
a car in Los Angeles. With the sharp teeth of a carnivore and razor-
sharp claws, binturongs are considered dangerous and can be aggressive
if threatened.

This binturong, the largest at the Zoo, was not treated well by
his former owner; he is blind in the right eye from a puncture
wound. Because they pose a tremendous threat to carnivores in
their native habitats, binturongs are considered pests and are
controlled by both the local state and federal governments.
One of the major issues with exotic pets concerns the genetic
bloodlines for reproduction of an endangered species. Because
much of the exotic pet trade is illegal, former owners are reluctant
or unable to provide essential background information on the animals.
Because endangered animals are bred very carefully for their
bloodlines, most of the confiscated "mystery" animals, like the
binturong, cannot be used in captive-breeding programs.

It is also illegal to keep a primate as a pet in California without a
permit. Of all the primates, chimpanzees have been the most popular as
pets, according to Karen Killmar, assistant curator of mammals at the
San Diego Zoo. "Marmosets and tamarins, small South American primates,
are also popular, and a surprising number of people keep primates as
large as macaques from Africa and Asia, which can weigh up to 40
pounds."

There are also serious health considerations, Killmar explains.
"Because primates are so closely related to us, numerous diseases and
parasites present health risks not only from the primate to the human
caretaker but also from humans to the primates. They can catch
tuberculosis and other diseases. Viruses that in humans might not
be serious can kill a primate."

Karen Killmar is part of a working group from various zoos that is
trying to develop a policy to deal with the problem. "We need to
approach it from two sides. We need to slow down the traffic in primate
pets, but we also need to take care of the animals that are already
in that situation, to make sure they live out their lives in a decent
fashion." Those who work closely with exotic animals in captivity want
to educate the public so that people will resist the attraction of an
exotic pet in favor of the health and well-being of the animal,
which should be our goal. 

               ****** End of posting ********

[With permission/ZOONOOZ]