What is an ‘exotic’ animal?

Summary

It shouldn’t matter whether your pet is considered exotic, but depending on where you live it could make a big difference. In some countries and provinces, certain animals are banned simply because they are classified as exotic, and differing definitions can make commonly kept pets illegal without clear reason. The word ‘exotic’ has been misappropriated by a tiny minority of radical campaigners who want to stop us keeping certain types of pet. Yet when we look at the reasoning behind these campaigns, it becomes clear they lack scientific logic. The video explains why all pet animals should be assessed equally and judged using consistent, evidence-based standards, rather than labels.

Thanks to Josh’s Frogs for presenting this video.

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Transcript

Should we be allowed to keep exotic pets?

Well, that depends on what you mean by exotic. Some people might imagine a ferocious tiger, or a bear, or a monkey. Maybe you think of a snake, or a lizard, or a parrot. And depending on the definition you choose, almost any animal could be considered an exotic pet. Even a hamster, a rabbit, and a canary. Even a regular old cat or dog could be considered exotic, believe it or not.

The definition of exotic in Merriam-Webster's dictionary is, "introduced from another country not native to the place where found." Well, domestic cats originated from wild felines in Middle East and Africa, while dogs likely came from East Asia. So dogs and cats anywhere else in the worldcould be considered exotic by this definition.

Others consider an exotic pet to be anything that is not commonly kept as a pet. So sure, very few people keep tigers, bears, or monkeys, but reptiles and amphibians are among the most popular pet animals in the world today.

But why does it even matter if the pet you choose is exotic or not? Well, in many parts of the world, it's illegal to keep so-called "exotic" animals. And it's not just tigers and monkeys that are banned. If animal rights campaigners get their way, your cutesy leopard gecko, corn snake, tortoise, or dumpy frog would be banned too.

That's why it's so important to watch out for loosely worded laws that aim to ban so-called "exotic" pets. Because depending on how the word "exotic" is defined, that new law could make you a criminal and the reptile you love so much could be banned.

Click on the link in the description or bio and take action to protect your reptiles today.

I'm Alyssa Rahmann from Josh's Frogs, and this is Responsible Reptile Keeping.