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Can I have your opinions please before I write to local paper?

Bunnyaddict

Wise Old Thumper
I've just read last night's local paper & the following link had a full page article in it on page 3 on the paper :?

It talks about this woman keeping meerkats as domestic pets - as well as a host of other exoctic animals that are not native to this country :cry:

Is it me or does anyone else think this is wrong? Surely these types of animals should be left in the wild where they belong & not domesticated?

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Sheffield39s-cutest-pets--PICTURES.6114792.jp

But the think that really naffed me off was her statement towards the end of the article saying 'it's not like keeping a rabbit in a hutch!' :evil: Like that's ALL a rabbit needs :cry:

I really feel like making a complaint to the paper, as I just think it's completely irresponsible both from the meerkats point of view & from the rabbits point of view :?

And to finish off she now wants an Asian leopard cat to add to her collection :roll:
 
I would have thought that she would need a Dangerous Wild Animals Licence to keep meerkats - apparently not! :? :shock:
Meerkats are not pets!
I know it's a horrible thing to say, but I hope that this woman gets maimed by her 'pets'. Who knows, this may teach her - and others like her - a lesson.:evil:
 
its annoying but she's free to do it.

i'd go for educating them about rabbits rather than saying anything about her. but i'm feeling a bit defeated tonight.
 
its annoying but she's free to do it.

i'd go for educating them about rabbits rather than saying anything about her. but i'm feeling a bit defeated tonight.

I know she's free to do it & I think I could have lived with the fact that she's got meerkats & other exotic animals even though I don't agree with it - but her comment about 'it's not like a rabbit in a hutch' has just really got to me & made me so, so angry :evil:

If she's the animal lover she professes to be, she'd also be aware that rabbits need more than a hutch!! :roll:

I agree with you Poly as well, I can't believe that anyone could consider a meerkat a suitable domestic pet!! They are native to the african dessert for god's sake not bloody Sheffield!!!! :evil:

She might be in for a shock when she gets her Asian leopard cat - they might be not much bigger than a domestic cat, but I would imagine you don't want to get on the wrong side of them ;) At the end of the day they are still wild animals at heart! :?
 
Are they born in captivity or captured from the wild?

Keeping wild animals is wrong. It takes a lot of generations for them to stop acting like they do in the wild and until then it's cruel to keep them in a home environment. Big cats can even be very dangerous. :(

For inspiration for your letter you might want to look at the story of Christian the Lion. He was bought as a cub from Harrods in the 60's. :roll: It's a lovely story... in the end.

Blegh, people in general make me sick.
 
Are they born in captivity or captured from the wild?
Keeping wild animals is wrong. It takes a lot of generations for them to stop acting like they do in the wild and until then it's cruel to keep them in a home environment. Big cats can even be very dangerous. :(

For inspiration for your letter you might want to look at the story of Christian the Lion. He was bought as a cub from Harrods in the 60's. :roll: It's a lovely story... in the end.

Blegh, people in general make me sick.

It doesn't say - so am assuming these have been bred in captivity - either way I disagree with it :(

God - Chrsitian the Lion story made me bawl my eyes out when I first heard about it :cry:

Why can't people leave wild animals where they are supposed to be - in the wild? :(
 
Yet another of the "it's just a rabbit" club I see.:censored:

If the intention is to stir the problem a little you could have a field day.

With all these exotic (and potentially dangerous) pets, why not write to the paper and ask whether she has undertaken a "suitable and sufficient risk assessment". If you can introduce some "potential risk to children" and "the safety of children is the council's top priority", that should get them started.

Then there's the question of whether they have all received the regular veterinary checks that they require - with documented proof.

Then, if they were imported, whether all of the relevant paperwork is in place.

In my opinion, why not leave the animals in their natural environment and not seek to domesticate them.

If people want to see them, travel to their country or watch documentaries about them. I am not aware of any particular exotic species that are native to the newspaper's circulation area of Sheffield.

Perhaps we can look forward to a headline, "Woman mauled by Asian leopard cat - It was only a pet"?

According to Wikipedia, "The conservation status of the Leopard Cat is listed as Appendix II in CITES (species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled)."

And:

"Keeping a Leopard Cat as a pet is possible, although a license is required in most places. License requirements vary by location.

The Asian Leopard Cat (P. bengalensis bengalensis) is often mated with a domestic cat to produce hybrid offspring known as a Bengal cat. These hybrids are usually permitted to be kept as pets without a license. For the typical pet owner, a Bengal cat kept as a pet should be least four generations (F4) removed from the Leopard Cat. The "foundation cats" from the first three filial generations of breeding (F1-F3) are usually reserved for breeding purposes or the specialty pet home environment".

Perhaps she is thinking of breeding with it?:censored:

I feel another "breeder" thread starting.

Why can't she just have a pair of rabbits, look after them properly and enjoy the privilege of owning them? Not all these exotic "fashion" pets.
 
Thanks Snouter - I think you've just given me a good start for my letter :thumb:

I think you've summed it up perfectly ;)

I'll let you know when the 'Woman mauled by Asian leopard cat' appears in the local press :p

I just dispair with some people of the human race - completely selfish & only interested in their own 'wants & needs' instead of what is best for the animals involved :(
 
Are these the people with pet raccoons that live in Dronfield?! They bring their raccoons on leads into Chesterfield sometimes. Not sure that they are but I know that they keep meerkats too.

I think they frequent the (( Exotic Keepers Forum )) - I'm just forum-nosey lol. :oops:

I would write along the lines of it's a shame really that an article they printed which was clearly designed to make people think more carefully about taking on an animal such as a meerkat ended up giving the wrong impression about the care of rabbits........as rabbits need far more time and space than most people realise! Perhaps mention the Look North interview BARC did? That should have been shown in Sheffield.

(I live near Chesterfield and work there by the way - two of my colleagues live in Dronfield!)
 
Thanks Snouter - I think you've just given me a good start for my letter :thumb:

You're very welcome.:)

Usually, with local papers, just press the right politically-correct buttons and off they go. Children + danger + concern is usually more than enough. If she lives in a house anywhere near a primary school they will go into orbit.

Good luck with this.
 
Arrrrghhhhh what is wrong with these idiotic attention seeking people - why is she doing that? It is absolutely ridiculous and cruel and unnecessary. It shouldn't be allowed and it's only going to get worse - the government needs to get onto introducing legislation fast in this country on keeping animals in domestic environments - or will the big cats need to escape and savage a small child first - I shudder to think what she feeds these animals and houses them in - Evil Biatch :roll:

http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/zoo-check/captive-wildlife-issues/exotic-pets/
 
Are these the people with pet raccoons that live in Dronfield?! They bring their raccoons on leads into Chesterfield sometimes. Not sure that they are but I know that they keep meerkats too.

I think they frequent the (( Exotic Keepers Forum )) - I'm just forum-nosey lol. :oops:

I would write along the lines of it's a shame really that an article they printed which was clearly designed to make people think more carefully about taking on an animal such as a meerkat ended up giving the wrong impression about the care of rabbits........as rabbits need far more time and space than most people realise! Perhaps mention the Look North interview BARC did? That should have been shown in Sheffield.

(I live near Chesterfield and work there by the way - two of my colleagues live in Dronfield!)

I'm guessing it could be the same couple Hannah as she lives in Dronfield :roll:

WHY would you walk a racoon on a lead through Chesterfield????? :?

Thanks for everyone's feedback & input - I will let you know what happens :? Got a bee in my bonnet about this now!!

Stupid selfish people :evil:
 
A reply from an exotic animal owner.

Hello,

I came across this thread yesterday, and I am a little disappointed by most of the responses. I am a family member of the woman in question, and don't think you fully understood the intentions of the article, the intentions of the woman and the full picture here.

The exotic pet trade is a big problem at the moment, of that I am in no doubt. That was in fact the point of the article - to raise awareness of the pitfalls of keeping these kinds of animals. We want to teach people that if you do choose to make the decision to look after a specialist animal, then you have to be dedicated and well educated on all of their needs. One issue that was raised in the article concerned how to house an exotic animal – even though they don’t spend all of their time in that enclosure. She made a comparison between the size of an exotic animal enclosure and a rabbit hutch, nothing more than that. She was not implying that a rabbit should simply be left in a hutch all day and receive no further care than that, she was simply commenting on the size difference. She was also saying that the meerkats cannot always be handled to the same degree as rabbits, and so they require a bigger enclosure because they spend more time in it than a (well cared for) rabbit would.

We do not take the ownership of an exotic animal lightly. As with any pet, they require very specific and often complicated care, and also an experienced owner prepared to do a lot of research. Owning a raccoon or a meerkat is not a novelty, it is a full time job, and few people are dedicated enough to take on such a responsibility. All of our animals are regularly veterinary checked and we receive constant advice from specialists and experts across the country and even around the world. All of their diets are monitored daily and altered according to the season. The health of our animals means more to us than anything, they are our family.

You say it's cruel to keep exotic animals as pets, and that they should be left in the wild. You are absolutely right. But is this not true of any animal? Birds in cages, rabbits in hutches - keeping any animal domesticated when it should be in the wild is cruel. As human beings we made the choice to keep animals as pets, and I believe that the fact that cats, dogs and rabbits have been domesticated longer than raccoons and meerkats is irrelevant. As long as the animal’s needs are met and they are happy then we are all doing the best we can as animal owners.

It is one thing to have an opinion. It is another thing to wish harm on someone simply because you disagree with them. Saying that you hope this woman gets mauled by her animals is absolutely disgraceful and immature, and you should be ashamed - as animal lovers you should know better.

I hope I've helped you to understand the situation better and I hope that next time you'll think before attacking someone over something you know little about. I’ll be happy to answer any serious questions you might have.
 
Thank you for your response jakeyr :?

What I find interesting is that you appear to have joined this forum to voice your opinions & 'help me (and others) understand the situation better etc'

Yet you have never posted before & in fact only joined today - what for I ask? You 'came' across this thread? :? I just find that a very strange coincidence that you happened to come across this thread & are related to the person in the article :?

You have listed yourself in the title of your post as a reply from an exotic animal owner - well I would like to advise you that rabbits are also considered exotic animals - although very few people know that. Most people consider them children's pets & in fact that couldn't be further from the truth.

Shall I tell you why?

It's because they are very complicated animals that also require specialist care - something the 'comparison' made by your family member clearly failed to put across. As a rabbit lover & owner I found her comment in the interview extremely insensitive to the needs of rabbits - as an animal lover both you & Sallie should also know better :?

I quote from the article 'Sallie said the current popularity of meerkats was in some ways a concern - as it could encourage irresponsible ownership.

"They are not easy animals to keep if you are a novice, it takes a certain degree of experience," she said.

"It's not like keeping a rabbit in a hutch, and they aren't as easy to handle when they are adults. They need space, heating and the right diet.'


You want to know why I found the article offensive????

Rabbits are one of the most neglected animals in the UK - many of whom are just shoved in a rabbit hutch far too small to meet it's needs, never let out to exercise, never fed the correct diet, never given attention or companionship. Over 30,000 of them end up in rescues every year because of people. Not all rabbits are easily handleable, some are agressive & hormonal - many of which are very mis-understood because people simply can't be bothered to find out how to meet their needs. Sallie's statement in my opinion did the complete opposite of what she intended!! It was a very mis-guided & ill judged comparison.

To inform you further about the keeping of rabbits, which might help you understand why I was so offended at the article, to quote the Animal Welfare Act rabbits need the following as a minimum: -

1. A suitable place to live - a minimum of a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft hutch with permanent access to a 6 x 4 run; however the bigger the better & suitable in line with the breed of rabbit;

2. A suitable diet to ensure their teeth wear down correctly - naturally based on hay / grass & small amounts of veg;

3. To be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns;

4. To be able to live with their own species for company (where possible) - rabbits are extremely social animals - there are only a minority of rabbits that will not accept another rabbit for company;

5. To be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease - access to a rabbit savvy vet is a must as they are very complex & can be difficult to treat.

It also concerns me that Sallie's statement about keeping meerkats did not go far enough in stating what complicated animals they are & what needs they have - she mentions 'a certain degree of experience' - I would have thought that it needs an awful lot of experience.

I fail to see how keeping meerkats in a suburban house in Sheffield can meet the necessary needs of a wild animal that is native to Africa? In my opinion the only thing Sallie did was in fact promote keeping exotic animals & no doubt we will now see all sorts of people trying to keep them as pets. Well if you want to experience meerkats or any other wild animal, go to see them in the wild or if you must in a zoo - do not keep wild animals as domestic pets.

And yes for what it's worth you are quite right this is also true of birds in cages, rabbits in hutches etc - however, sadly the human race domesticated these types of animals many, many years ago. That does not mean we have to try to domesticate every type of wild animal for our own selfish needs.

I too will be happy to answer any serious questions you or Sallie may have in respect of rabbits. You may learn a lot about these very mis-understood complicated, neglected exoctic animals.
 
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well said bunnyaddict:thumb: theres a petshop in maltby that sells meercats oh and squirrels:evil::shock:
 
well said bunnyaddict:thumb: theres a petshop in maltby that sells meercats oh and squirrels:evil::shock:

A pet shop near me has just sold its pair of meercats and now has something else in their place, poor thing really wanted out of the cage it was in (dont know what it was) felt so bad when i saw it :(

edit: I dont go in here normally my mum wanted an elephant nose fish
 
Thank you for the reply Bunnyaddict,

I didn't intend to come across this forum at all. I was actually googling to find the article in question ironically and this thread came up. I gave it a read and thought I'd give the other side of the story. If some of you see that as trolling then I can't help that.

I was unaware that rabbits were counted as exotics. During the last trip we made to the vets we were told guinea pigs were the only exotics she regularly comes across - that gave us the impression rabbits weren't.

I don't see why you seem so convinced that we have something against rabbits or that I would think they require any less care than any other animal. I agree with you that rabbits need specialist care, as do all animals, and many of them are mistreated and not given the right environment. I'm not sure why you think I disagree with any of this.

Unfortunately, you seem to have missed my point. The statement was intended to convey that a meerkat enclosure needs more than a rabbit hutch (not a rabbit) and you can't just pop on the internet or drive to a shop and buy one. That is it. I don't disagree that a rabbit needs everything you say it does, I'm sorry that the article came across the way it did.

You mention the part where she talks about experience and how she doesn't go far enough in stating how complicated it is. Sallie didn't write the article so had no control over how much content went into it. I'm sure if it was up to her she could talk for pages and pages about how difficult it is to keep these animals. The newspaper interviewed her and included what they chose as the most relevant quotes. This unfortunately means that a lot of what Sallie said can be taken out of context by people reading it.

Honestly, I think no matter what I say on the subject we'll never see eye to eye. We could go on with this for days and days discussing the morals and ethics of animal keeping.

I also find it interesting that none of you have addressed the issue of some of the forum members wishing harm on someone, which was one of my biggest problems to begin with. It is quite upsetting to read something like that written about a member of your family.

Just to summarise, there was never any intention to cause offence to rabbit owners or to add to any problems with the misunderstanding over their care. If you understand what the original intention of the article was then surely there is no need to blow it out of proportion? We now understand how the article can be viewed and will try to make sure we avoid such confusion in the future.

Most of our animals are rescues, and were neglected, abandoned or orphaned, so I hope you know that these exotic animals were not obtained simply to be fashionable. I'm sure we can all agree it is not just traditionally domesticated animals that are mistreated and need a loving home.

I signed up to try and fill in the gaps the article left out, but I'm not sure whether this has done any good.
 
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