In January, an injured African serval—a wild animal not allowed to be kept as a pet in Massachusetts—was found roaming loose and in distress in a Lincoln resident’s backyard. African servals can only be kept with a permit and by zoos for educational purposes.
Fortunately, the MSPCA was able to capture the serval. His rescuers named him “Bruno,” and he was estimated to be about one year old. After no owner came forth, the MSPCA relocated Bruno to The Wildcat Sanctuary, an accredited non-profit sanctuary in Minnesota that has experience in caring for servals. He will live there for the remainder of his life, which may exceed 20 years.
Private ownership of wild and exotic animals can have devastating consequences for both the animals and the community in which they are kept. In Massachusetts, the sale and private ownership of wild and exotic animals is tightly controlled via state statutes and administrative regulations that dictate which animals can be kept or sold, and if a permit is necessary. The laws are to protect both the public and the animal from harm.
Wild animals have complex physical, psychological, social, and behavioral needs that are vastly different from those of domesticated companion animals. They may require specific housing, diets, enrichment, and specialized and expensive care that most individuals are not knowledgeable about and/or cannot provide. Appropriate veterinary care for these unique species can be difficult to find. Many are highly social and need to be with members of their own species but are denied that contact. Consequently, wild and exotic animals may live their entire lives in captivity without their most basic needs being met, all the while suffering from stress, frustration, and boredom. Many of these animals develop health and behavior problems as a result.
When people realize they cannot properly care for wild/exotic animals or recognize that these animals are not suitable for captivity, they may attempt to “rehome” the animal with a zoo or sanctuary. Other overwhelmed owners sometimes choose to release these animals into the wild, mistakenly believing that they will be able to fend for themselves. However, these animals are often released outside their native habitats, where their chances of survival are slim. Or they may be abandoned without first having learned from their natural parents the skills necessary to forage and hunt and evade predators. As a result, these former pets often cannot survive long on their own. Complicating matters, when acquired as pets, these animals are often stripped of their natural survival and defense systems.
Keeping wild and exotic animals as pets usually presents problems, not only for the animals kept as pets, but also for people, public heath, other animals, and the ecosystem. Learn more about wild animals as pets.
