LETTERS: The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) expresses grave concern over the increasing number of exotic pets brought into the country due to their popularity with Malaysians, particularly children.
CAP reacts with horror at the thought of parents acquiring exotic animals for their children just to pacify their demands.
Exotic animals live in very different conditions to those which they face in a cage or a tank, thousands of miles away from their natural habitats. They need special food and living conditions.
Children often mishandle exotic pets by handling them roughly, causing distress to the animals. Additionally, exotic pet owners attempt to change the nature of the animals by confining them in small, barren enclosures, chaining, beating them "into submission," or submitting them to painful mutilations such as declawing and tooth removal.
Obtaining exotic animals is easy and rarely results in a penalty since most of the states do not keep accurate records of exotic animals entering their states and it is impossible to know exactly how many exotic animals are perceived as pets.
Chinchillas, sugar gliders, iguanas, tortoises and turtles, various primates, birds, and snakes are among the most sought after exotic pets.
A quick Internet search for buying an Indian star tortoise brings up a number of websites selling the protected species. The demand for exotic animals, particularly reptiles, has made Peninsular Malaysia one of the top markets for smuggled exotic animals.
Public demand encourages smugglers to poach for rare species. This involves large networks and syndicates which employ groups of people, from hunters and collectors in rural areas to middlemen and high-level traders in urban centres.
Not all retailers are scrupulous in ensuring the exotic animals they buy are imported legally. The exotic animals in this process suffer at every step of the journey.
Abandoned or exotic animals that have escaped may thrive in the wild and become an invasive species competing with native species for food, or infecting native species with diseases, which are two of the problems associated with exotic pets.
An already rare animal may become extinct with capture and captivity. And finally, exotic pet owners have insufficient knowledge, resources, and commitment for the care of exotic animals.
The trading of exotic animals is out of control because of the increasing number of animals being traded and because the trade remains largely unregulated. Tougher legislation to aid in the monitoring of all pet shops in the country is needed.
Therefore, CAP would strongly urge against keeping exotic species as pets. Whether traded legally or illegally, keeping wild animals as pets is cruel. A life in captivity is a life of suffering for exotic wild animals.
Mohideen Abdul Kader
President, Consumers Association of Penang (CAP)
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times