One of the most notable pet trends in recent years
in Latin America has been the domestication of
animals that were once found only in nature. In
homes throughout the region, one finds iguanas, alligators, monkeys, parrots…even anacondas, cobras and Bengal tigers.
Rather than reflect a keen interest in exotic species,
pet advocates say the trend more often reflects owners using unusual animals to boost their egos. Worse, some of the animals are threatened species, and some can transmit diseases to their owners.
Cristina Schneider, regional advisor to PAHO's Veterinary Public Health Unit, points out that there were six reported cases of human rabies transmitted by monkeys in Latin America between 1997 and 2001. "In places like Ceará, Brazil, people have brought monkeys into their homes and kept them as pets, unaware of the risks," says Schneider. "Unfortunately, some of these animals were in contact with rabies in their habitat."
To counter the practice, Ceará state authorities have been working since 1998 to raise awareness of wild rabies and to discourage area residents from trying to domesticate monkeys and other wild
animals that can carry the disease.
It should be no surprise that wild
animals do not make good pets.
In addition to posing a health risk
to humans, many wild animals
suffer physically and emotionally
in captivity (in contrast,
domestic animals have had
millennia to adapt). They may
become ill from eating food they're
not used to, or they may fail to
adapt to their surroundings and
die after a short time. Since many will not reproduce in captivity, their species may come closer to extinction. And the boom in exotic pets often creates illegal trafficking in animals that arrive at their destination injured or ill.
Veterinary students at the nontraditional species section of the University of Buenos Aires' veterinary school say they have seen a growing number of exotic animals kept as pets, particularly monkeys and iguanas. The vets-intraining complain that the animals' owners rarely seem particularly interested in learning about the species or as concerned as they should be about the animals' health.
Inadequate care often results in exotic animals' becoming so ill that their owners end up seeking help from the local zoo. Officials at La Plata Zoo, 60 km from Buenos Aires, say they have seen a variety of species of monkeys and exotic birds in advanced stages of malnutrition. Fortunately, they've managed to save the animals they've seen.
In Brazil, the boom in exotic pets has been particularly notable among society's upper strata. Eufrate Almeida, director of the Quintal de San Francisco, a São Paulo animal protection group, says, "We are against this practice. These species have not been studied enough. Nowadays people abandon not just dogs and cats but exotic animals, too. We tell people to stick to dogs and cats, and leave exotic and wild animals in peace."
Yayo Vicente, executive director of Costa Rica's McKee Project, says he and many other animal advocates are concerned about the lack of control on sales of exotic animals and agree they should not be bought as pets.
"Animals that do not have a long history of domestication should not be promoted as pets," he says flatly. "The only true members of this category are dogs, cats, canaries, rabbits and ornamental fish."