It's Not Just Savannahs...

[Trish Allearz]

One thing that bothers me about the exotic community is their inability to see past their own nose- how secular it can be. If a county or state is banning wolf hybrids- as long as its not cat hybrids, no one (except for the wolf hybrid owners) cries foul. If a state is banning exotics, but exempts hybrids- the hybrid communities breathe a sigh of relief. When breed bans are enacted, we all clutch our *fill in the blank* (exotic, hybrid, domestic breed descended down from an exotic) and think "At least it's not ME."

This thinking really bothers me. All of these laws DO eventually effect us. Not today- but each time another animal law is enacted such as breed bans, exotic ownership bans, exorbitant insurances required of owners of this animal or that- our rights are being chipped away and this only makes it easier for US to lose OUR rights later on down the road.

I was just watchin this video about this Roo... Sure, he's not a Savannah- he's a freaking huge kangaroo! BUT you can tell he's loved, you can tell he's cared for- heck, you can tell he's socialized. And yet, from what I'm reading- the city or county enacted an ordinance banning exotics and although THEY say they gave the owner the proper paperwork to get a permit, she is saying she never receive the forms. How easy is it for the law to play games to keep us from having something THEY may not approve of?

I don't know- this kinda stuff just makes me feel very very down...

 

[admin]

Trish, I missed this video and I'm glad I found it today, although it did make me cry...it is such a beautiful video and story and I hope the people in Irwin's town support his owner in letting her keep him.

It seems to me that our rights are being whittled away day by day and unless we fight back, we are going to lose. States are banning exotics and hybrids as are counties and towns...Irwin is just a pawn in the game of AR and politics And yes, it makes you sad to see such a beautiful animal who is now alive and well, due to human love and interaction, that may be taken away...for what reason??? None I can think of...

 

[WitchyWoman]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and I know this may offend some of you, but I am opposed to keeping wild animals as pets. It is selfish to believe that taking an animal who may be used to roaming large territories or who may be migratory with the seasons and putting it in your living room is more humane than letting it live its natural life, no matter how short or difficult it may be.

I understand the mystique of bonding with something wild, but respecting a wild animal's right to freedom and companionship with its own kind is, IMHO, the right thing to do.

 

[admin]

I do agree with that, Deborah, to a point, but in this case, I don't think this Kangaroo will survive in the wild. That is what makes the story so sad. And I guess it also depends on your definition of wild. AR groups are trying to ban servals and hybrids all over the country. They consider the serval to be wild. here are some definitions a savannah breeder came up with a few months ago:

Definition of wild (of an animal or plant) Living or growing in the natural
environment; not domesticated or cultivated. Wild is not in the blood, DNA, or
genes of anything. There is no definition for wild blood, because wild blood
doesn't exist

Definition of Wildcat 1. Any of various wild felines of small to medium size,
especially of the genus Lynx, including the bobcat and the caracal.
2. Either of two small felines (Felis silvestris subsp. silvestris or subsp.
lybica) of Europe, Asia, and Africa, often regarded as being the ancestor of the
domestic cat

Would I ever have a Kangaroo as a pet? No...but I think that this woman saved the roo from being euthanized and cared for it, loved it and brought it back to health. It does not seem as though it can survive on its own in the wild. JMO.

 

[Trish Allearz]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and I know this may offend some of you, but I am opposed to keeping wild animals as pets. It is selfish to believe that taking an animal who may be used to roaming large territories or who may be migratory with the seasons and putting it in your living room is more humane than letting it live its natural life, no matter how short or difficult it may be.

I understand the mystique of bonding with something wild, but respecting a wild animal's right to freedom and companionship with its own kind is, IMHO, the right thing to do.

Deb- it's not an offensive opinion, but in my eyes, it is a very contrary one coming from a Savannah owner (or enthusiast, etc). I see this a lot in the Savannah/Bengal community and I seriously have issues wrapping my mind around it.

Let me explain... So why is an African Serval an okay forebearer to our Savannahs (say for those with lower gen cats) then? Since we all know the Serval is in our animals' bloodlines somewhere and obviously, it is much closer to our cats in our homes then to our alley cats (like my oldies who are DSHs- they have an exotic heritage somewhere, but what? They're probably F2000s- LOL- sound like an exotic car, right?)

I get very upset about all of this, myself, because I think due to our ability to turn a blind eye to other's issues with exotic bans- we open up the doors to hybrid bans and breed specific legislation. For example- if I have no issue with kangaroos being banned in a county- then I should have no issues with lions or tigers being banned. No biggie, right? Makes sense. YET- usually when they slip in an exotic ban, they also toss in the smaller exotics- the Servals, the Lynxes, the Bobcats. Well, no biggie- I don't think exotics should be kept as pets (and in this case- the Roo was an exotic- not a wild animal. He was born in captivity if I understand correctly- and yes, there are a lot of Roo/Wallaby owners throughout this country). Well, then sometimes, they slip in the hybrids with those exotic bans too.

Even if they DON'T- permitting laws like this to pass while turning a blind eye simply gives the government an easier time eventually banning OUR cats.

Hope that makes sense Really- the political climate towards exotic pets makes me very very sick. We wouldn't have Savannahs without very dedicated, caring Serval owners! We wouldn't have Serval owners without dedicated, caring exotic breeders.

 

[admin]

Well said, trish...I am now helping to fight against exotic bans in Indiana (which includes Servals and hybrids) as well as an anti-breeder bill in NJ...when will it end? If the AR groups get their way, it will end with all cats and dogs being S/N and no breeders at all.

And Deborah, your post i not offensive. We will all never agree on everything and debate/opinions are a good thing

 

[Trish Allearz]

Well said, trish...I am now helping to fight against exotic bans in Indiana (which includes Servals and hybrids) as well as an anti-breeder bill in NJ...when will it end? If the AR groups get their way, it will end with all cats and dogs being S/N and no breeders at all.

And Deborah, your post i not offensive. We will all never agree on everything and debate/opinions are a good thing

it just honestlt petrifies me- we let BSL happen because we don't own pits or mastiffs or whatever...

We let exotic bans happen because we don't own the animals being banned...

We let mandatory spay/neuter laws get passed because we don't breed...

I just feel like we should be encouraging good, responsible ownership instead of letting the government put a stranglehold on pet owners.

 

[admin]

Absolutely!

 

[WitchyWoman]

There will always be a bit of hypocrisy is my sentiments -- I love my savannahs, don't support the use of exotics in their creation, yet will fight to ensure that savannahs aren't banned as pets. I won't support captivity of anything other than dogs and cats. When I worked in wildlife rehab, we kept a few permanently injured animals as "education" animals. I hated it. Yet I know that the best way to get people, especially children, to have regard for animals and their environments is for people to be able to get up close to those animals.

I also used those animals to teach people the impact of human-caused environmental damage and why good stewardship was important. It is a slippery slope to stand before a group of people while holding a majestic eagle on my arm and state that they are not pets. Because I guarantee that every kid in the room wanted an eagle after being able to touch one.

Other than the education animals, any animal that we could not heal to the point where it could be released was killed. I killed a lot of animals. I hated it. I hated that human activity was the major cause of the injury/illness that brought those animals into the center. I hated myself for rationalizing that I was justified playing god trying to heal what would otherwise have died and not letting nature take its course. I consoled myself by believing that I was giving the animal a second chance to overcome human-caused issues. I lost sleep every night wondering if I was having a negative impact on a species by releasing a creature that would have died if not for my intervention. Those animals taught me a lot about being human.

It was humbling time and time again to interact with a wild animal that recognized that I was trying to help it, would patiently allow me to attend to wounds and administer meds, then try to kill me when it felt better. I looked into the eyes of caged cougars, bobcats, foxes, beaver, coyote, javalina, all manner of birds, and saw one thing -- the desire to be free.

The definitions referenced earlier are simply the use of semantics and semiotics to justify behavior and rationalize owning any animal we want. I think the more we turn wild animals (or exotics if you prefer) into backyard residents, the easier it will become for governments to justify destroying their natural environments for the convenience of humans. We're almost there now. And that is what disturbs me most.

I do understand where you are all coming from, respect your positions, and am grateful that you allow me to express mine. Not a day goes by when I don't feel like Jekyll & Hyde. As I said earlier, it's a slippery slope.

 

[Trish Allearz]

It is a slippery slope.

Have you ever been around exotics that weren't from the wild, Deb? I can guarantee you- there is a huge difference in an animal that has been raised from birth by humans and their parents have been raised by birth by humans. I have handled kinkajous, Coatimundis, and Servals and now Geoffrey Cats (to name a few that I can think of off the top of my head) and while you had to respect them and their unique personalities because they were not a dog or a cat, as an adult- they were not dangerous wild animals. They did not regress into dangerous wild animals, BUT- and here comes the big but- they do require a huge commitment that a lot of people cannot make.

Then again, those people shouldn't have a pitbull, a working dog of any breed, a Savannah, a high energy cat of any breed... Well, they might do okay with a pet rock :D

I also totally agree with what you are saying about kids. I have thought about opening an animal ambassador program locally, but I know most people who do so own the smaller exotics that the SVs would look at as snacks... I am so not up for protecting little things from being kitty snacks!