Parrots, Otters, and Turtles Might Seem Like Great Pets, but They’re Not. Keeping Them in Captivity Is Cruel
The Wild Pet Trade
Looking to buy a wild animal as a pet? Hopefully, we can change your mind.
- Virtually all small wild animals sold in pet stores are bred in deplorable conditions in commercial breeding operations called “mills”
- Though marketed as “beginner” animals, species like turtles and parakeets need specialized care and lots of space to grow
- Hungry African grey parrots: They eat a vast variety of fruits and seeds. You’ll have to spend a lot of time and money foraging for the right food
- Sickly Asian otters: In captivity, many of these aquatic animals develop painful health problems. Get ready for a sick pet and big vet bills
It’s simple: In a human home, there is no way to replicate the space and freedom that wild animals need and enjoy. Captivity limits their natural behavior and places both their mental and physical well-being at risk.
Ripped from their homes
Animals also continue to be captured from the wild, either to be sold as pets or to introduce genetic diversity into breeding populations at mills. Large-scale poaching uproots and devastates natural populations. Animals are usually caught in inhumane ways and in shockingly high numbers. Poachers often kill protective otter parents, so they can capture their young before selling them. As many as 21% of wild African grey parrots, a species already at risk of disappearing, are captured for the wild pet trade each year.
Animals who survive being caught face a treacherous journey. They are packed into small containers or crates, unable to breathe or move normally. Many suffocate, starve, or succumb to diseases before reaching their final destination.
Stress and self-harm
African grey parrots and other bird species kept as pets often rip out their own feathers due to stress and boredom. Being trapped in an unnatural environment without the companionship of other birds can result in severe psychological and physical harm.
Sign our pledge
We’re asking you to become a wildlife protector, by pledging not to buy wild animals as pets.
We know people purchase wild animals because they love animals. Animals bring joy to our lives, so it’s understandable that we’d want them to be part of our homes. Unfortunately, many people are misinformed and unaware that these animals are still wild and keeping them in captivity is extremely difficult and potentially dangerous. People who possess wild animals are also generally unaware of the daily suffering these animals endure.
We encourage everyone to appreciate and respect wild animals where they belong – in the wild. We should only share our homes with domesticated animals, like cats and dogs, who’ve evolved over thousands of years to be our companions.
Sign our pledge to never buy a wild animal as a pet, and help us protect wildlife by keeping them where they belong. In the wild.
