Is a pet fox legally in this county? The state has no laws on private ownership of skunks? What does the city health department codes have regarding domestic raccoons? For potential exotic pet owner, it can be a difficult battle to determine whether the animal you are looking for is legal in their area or not. Sometimes it can be quite easy, and at other times it can be a labyrinthine mess of mutually exclusive laws and different people at different levels give you conflicting information.
It can be tempting, very tempting for exotic pet owners to try and fly under the radar and get an animal without knowing whether it is legal or not wannabe. Or worse, to know that it is illegal and still. The consequences can be devastating, and much more extensive than they would imagine.
Depending on the wording of the law and the species in question, an exotic pet owner who finds themselves on the wrong side of the law they are allowed to massive fines, criminal charges or even prison. The final results for the illegal animal in question are rarely good. Such animals are often confiscated and euthanized because they are not suitable for release and can not survive in the wild. Rehoming them is usually not possible as it would be just as illegal to possess for other pet owners, as they were to have for you. A few of these unfortunate animals can end up in zoos or animal parks, but most are not so lucky.
It is also important to remember that many of these laws in place that are for good reason. Often their purpose is to protect endangered species and the environment. Ohio requires that all exotic animals that are native to the state (ie pet foxes, raccoons) are bred in captivity. This serves a dual purpose, it protects the wild population, and it prevents the risk of rabies exposure. Alaska prohibits the keeping of foxes as pets because of their potentially cause harm as an invasive species.
Apart from personal consequences and the impact on the environment, can break the law have a huge impact on other people to keep unusual pets. Exotic pet owners are generally considered to be a bit crazy from the rest of the world. People tend to those who want to share their home with a pet fox or a skunk to be considered a little crazy, we need to show them that we are "harmless crazy." Whenever a member of the exotic pet community breaks the law, it reflects badly on all of us, often to follow leading to more and stricter laws.
So for the sake of yourself, your pets, the environment and the exotic animal community as a whole, obey all laws to the letter and buy only animals that you are legally allowed to own.
Sarah Roche legally owns a red fox and a breeder of chinchillas and corn snakes. She is the author of The Pet Fox, a blog focused on tips, advice and information about pet foxes and other exotic animals....
