Why We Care

Millions of Exotic Animals Are Kept in Cruel, Unnatural Captivity

The trade in exotic animals is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Across the U.S., millions of exotic animals – including lions, tigers, cougars, wolves, bears, monkeys, alligators, birds, and venomous snakes – are bred, bought, and sold for private possession. They are kept captive in private homes as “pets,” in roadside zoos, and in menageries. The conditions of captivity are unnatural, cramped, and tend to stifle the animals’ natural behaviors and instincts.

Captive wild animals are often acquired by their “owners” when they are babies. These animals are taken away from their mothers, robbing them of the opportunity to learn crucial survival skills. And, when the animals grow up and become too large or ferocious to handle, they are disposed of by their owners or left to languish in substandard conditions.

Many captive exotic animals also are cruelly trained to perform tricks, such as balancing acts or jumping through hoops, or are forced into close interactions with humans, such as during animal rides or photo ops. These are learned behaviors, which go against every natural tendency and instinct the animals have to avoid humans or to view humans as either natural predators or as prey.

Photo by Read Me (https://flic.kr/p/TzRpi) via: freeforcommercialuse.org

“A five-year old tiger and five-year-old cougar were kept in separate small pens. The pens were topped with wire, creating a low roof. Both pens were extremely muddy and had pools of water. They each had a wooden shelter and a metal water trough but no other structures. There were no attempts at enrichment – no trees, branches, etc. The cats must have been exceedingly bored and frustrated. Except when being petted or fed, both cats displayed constant stereotypical behavior (pacing and head weaving).”
Born Free USA’s Report “A Life Sentence”

Keeping Wild Animals in Captivity Is Dangerous to Humans and Animals Alike.

By their very nature, exotic animals are unpredictable and are incapable of being domesticated. Domestication of a species can only occur after thousands of years and even animals, such as dogs, that have been domesticated over thousands of years still retain some of the evolutionary wild behaviors of their ancestors. No wild animal can ever truly be domesticated — even if the animal is born into captivity and appears “tame.” Consequently, keeping wild animals in close proximity to humans is inherently dangerous, demonstrated by the many captive wild animal attacks cataloged in Born Free USA’s Exotic Animal Incidents Database.

Keeping exotic animals in captivity also is dangerous for the animals, who are quickly killed by law enforcement if they are determined to pose a danger to people. The 2012 “Zanesville Tragedy,” in which 50 exotic animals were set free by their owner and subsequently killed by police in Zanesville, OH, is one dramatic example. The 2015 death of Harambe the gorilla, who was killed after a child entered his zoo enclosure, is another well-known case.

“My worst bites have been from that one up there. Out of every animal I own, the worst bites from her. I had to grab her once and she has all of her claws. She bit my legs, my stomach, my everything was bleeding. My hands were bleeding…. I could have gone to the doctor but if you go to the doctor everything is a big deal.”

The owner of a USDA-licensed facility that runs an exotic animal stage show in Washington speaking about a female bobcat.

Photo by Nagesh Jayaraman (https://flic.kr/p/7C2UTV) via: freeforcommercialuse.org

Photo by Andrey (https://flic.kr/p/6Fyb3o) via: freeforcommercialuse.org

The U.S. Has Inadequate and Inconsistent Laws Regarding Exotic Animal Ownership.

Laws and ordinances covering the use of exotic animals in entertainment and kept as “pets” are a dizzying patchwork that vary from town to town, county to county, and state to state. As of October 2016, 19 states prohibit possession of at least large cats, wolves, bears, nonhuman primates, and dangerous reptiles. Thirteen states have a partial ban, prohibiting possession of some exotic animals. Fourteen states require a license or permit to possess exotic animals. The remaining four states do not have a legislative or monitoring scheme, but may regulate some aspect of ownership.

Exotic Animal Incidents Database

Wild animals belong in the wild — not in the confinement of circuses, zoos, aquaria, backyards, or homes. In captivity, wild animals are not able to perform their natural behaviors and many lash out in frustration from psychological and physical deprivation. This situation is dangerous for animals and humans alike. Search our interactive database of attacks on humans, attacks on other animals, and escapes by exotic animals in the U.S.