Introduction to Exotic Animals and Ethical Sourcing

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What is an exotic animal?

An animal which is not native to the country which it is residing in

'indigenous species of animal that is less commonly kept as a pet'

  • a species that cannot be domesticated
  • if they are domestic they are NOT exotic
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Sourcing: Captive Bred

The animal is bred in captivity. The parents were in captivity when they mated and offspring were born in captivity.

Advantages

  • don't need to take from the wild
  • offspring of endangered species are safer when captive-bred
  • can help educate the public about the species

Disadvantages

  • no natural behaviours
  • don't know how to survive in the wild
  • limited gene pool
  • can prevent natural learnt behaviours from being established 
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Sourcing: Captive Born

A gravid (pregnant) female was caught and later gave birth or laid her eggs in captivity. 

Advantages

  • less chance of problems during birth as there are none of the stresses from the wild
  • less chance of the birth being interrupted 
  • more genetic variation

Disadvantages

  • extra stress during transport that may be fatal for unborn offspring
  • decreases the population of the species in the wild
  • may not learn all necessary natural behaviours as the environment is artificial
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Sourcing: Captive Farmed

A piece of land is sectioned off or protected and the animals are left to live freely and breed as they like, then we go and take the young/eggs.

Advantages

  • conservation
  • newly hatched animals under less stress
  • maybe allowed in an enclosure close to its natural habitat

Disadvantages

  • tend to be highly stressed and aggressive
  • not learnt natural instincts from parents or the environment
  • decreased genetic variation 
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Sourcing: Long-term Captive

An animal that has been caught from the wild but has been in captivity for a long period of time, and has become tame

Advantages

  • beneficial for species under threat in the wild
  • have learnt from experiences in captivity
  • keeps endangered species safe for the time being

Disadvantages

  • unlikely to survive if reintroduced to the wild
  • hard to tell if a behaviour is natural or something picked up from captivity
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Sourcing: Wild Caught

An animal caught as an adult from the wild and kept in captivity, may never be tame (depends on species, age etc.)

Advantages

  • conservation
  • protect threatened habitats if overpopulated
  • genetic diversity
  • cheaper initial price

Disadvantages

  • overexploitation
  • upset ecosystem
  • welfare (stress)
  • acclimatization 
  • feeding
  • ethics
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