A Life Sentence: The Sad and Dangerous Realities of Exotic Animals in Private Hands (2005)

In 2005, Born Free USA (then, Animal Protection Institute [API]) investigated private homes and federally-licensed roadside zoos and menageries that housed exotic animals in North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington – three states that then had no laws addressing the private ownership of such animals. (In 2007, the state of Washington passed such a law.)

Our investigators focused on the safety issues surrounding how these animals were kept, such as incidents involving attacks and injuries to people allowed contact with animals. We also examined how owners provided for the needs of exotic animals by analyzing, among other things, how the animals were housed, what type of enrichment was provided, and whether the animals were allowed direct contact with others of their kind.

We uncovered the shocking conditions in which exotic animals are kept, the suffering they endure, and the inadequate and inappropriate care and treatment they receive, as well as the real threats that exotic animals pose to public safety. Especially troubling is the fact that most instances of inadequate care and treatment did not violate any federal law or respective state law in place at the time.

Main Findings

Dangerous Public Contact.

Animals were offered for “close encounters,” in which the public could have direct contact with dangerous animals either by direct handling or through ineffective barriers.

Child Endangerment.

Children were placed at risk of attacks and injuries from dangerous exotic animals in private homes and at facilities open to the public.

Reckless Behavior.

Owners placed the public and themselves at risk through irresponsible behavior with dangerous animals.

Animal Attacks.

There were reports of attacks and injuries inflicted by exotic animals on owners and others.

Poor Conditions.

Animals were kept in inadequate conditions, including in pens that were too small, lacked adequate shelter from the elements, and that failed to allow animals to express normal, species-specific behaviors.

Lack of Enrichment.

Pens were barren or lacked appropriate structures and furnishings and did little, if anything, to provide a natural environment for the animals, resulting in dysfunctional and stereotypical behaviors.

Lack of Companionship.

Animals were housed in solitary confinement, denied contact with others of their kind.

Cruel and Inappropriate Treatment.

Animals were handled roughly and inappropriately; animals had teeth and claws surgically removed; nonhuman primates were treated like human children; animals were left to roam inside houses.

Overbreeding.

Animals of certain species were continuously bred to provide a constant supply of young animals as attractions and for photo opportunities.