exotic animals: bylaws

 

VHS provides information to municipal councils to help implement bylaws that prohibit the sale and keeping of exotic animals. Several municipalities in BC have passed such bylaws, such as Vancouver, North Vancouver, New Westminster, Abbotsford, Courtenay and the Central Okanagan Regional District. These bylaws send a strong message to the public that keeping exotic animals as pets is unacceptable.

 

Some cities, such as Richmond and Surrey, have passed bylaws prohibiting the sale of exotic animals but not their ownership. Such approaches are ineffective, as people can simply go to pet shops in other nearby municipalities (without exotics bylaws) to purchase animals.

 

Some people argue that "education" is the answer to the exotic pet issue. The say pet owners can be taught how to care for exotic animals. VHS disagrees because, in principle, we believe captivity is wrong, even when knowledgeable pet owners try to replicate the natural habitat of exotic species. They can never offer the diversity and range of the animal's true habitat. Moreover, there is no evidence that education works. Consider the overwhelming problems related to cat and dog ownership. For a very long time there has plenty of information available on dog and cat care - from animal agencies, municipalities, veterinary clinics, libraries and so on. Yet, cats and dogs continue to be abused, abandoned and irresponsibly allowed to breed. Our view is that adding exotic animals to the list of popular pets, when their needs are so complex, will result in the same types of irresponsible ownership - no matter how much education is available.

 

Only legislation banning the sale and ownership of exotic animals will get to the root of the problem.

 

Bylaws restricting/prohibiting exotic pet ownership or sale