100+ people take advantage of Nonnative Pet Amnesty Day, proving that exotic animals do not make good companions
February 26th, 2008 by admin
On Saturday, south Florida’s first “Nonnative Pet Amnesty Day” was held at Miami Metrozoo. The goal of the event was to provide “an alternative for pet owners who would otherwise be tempted to release their unwanted exotic animals into the wild.” It was a huge success. Over 150 animals were surrendered, including iguanas, turtles, 12 scorpions, Burmese pythons, boa constrictors, two large monitor lizards, two Quaker parrots, a coatimundi and one serval. The event was sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who will find new homes for the animals with qualified and responsible adopters.
Unfortunately, someone couldn’t wait until the amnesty day. Last week, a coatimundi (a raccoon-like mammal found mostly in Central and South America) was discovered at a construction site in Miramar. The Wildlife Care Center, who cared for the animal after she was found, said she was likely a former pet.
Amnesty days are a great idea, but at best the FWC is mopping up water from an overflowing bathtub, but not turning off the faucet! With a quick internet search, you can find exotic pet breeders in Florida selling coatimundi for $500. You can order online, and they’ll ship the animal to you.
The only real solution for the many problems caused by the exotic wildlife trade is for Florida to ban the sale of exotic and wild animals. Learn more by visiting ARFF’s website.