Animals have been kept under captive conditions for millennia.  Some such as wolves, camels, hamsters and budgerigars have become domesticated whilst others have not gone through the process of full domestication but instead enrich our lives as so-called ‘exotics’.  There are several reasons why species kept in captivity either become domesticated or not and I will consider these as an introduction to this presentation since it bears a heavy significance on the remainder of the discussions.

 

As the title of this presentation indicates I shall consider the keeping of exotic animals in the context of its impact on four different levels :

I will consider each of these four themes in turn before reaching my concluding statements.

 

I will suggest that there is little if any scientifically validated evidence to suggest that animals ‘know’ that they are in captivity and that they feel this to be detrimental to a life ‘in the wild’.  Further, it is suggested that such considerations are almost invariably associated with anthropomorphic attributes emanating from animal ‘welfare’ groups and individuals.  It is absolutely imperative that keepers of any species provide a duty of care to the animals they keep and this needs to be focused on providing access to appropriate foods, water, shelter, absence of disease, reproductive opportunities, ability to undertake a representative behavioural repertoire, etc.  Life in the wild is too often equated with an idyllic existence ignoring the short life span (much shorter than typical longevities under captive conditions), frequent disease, competitive and predatory stresses, starvation, etc., all of which are substantially reduced or eliminated entirely under captive conditions.  Provision of a well thought-out husbandry regime in captivity almost invariably leads to higher reproductive success and longer
life-spans than ever recorded in the wild state.  Reproductive success is the primary driver of evolutionary development and genetic advantage.

 

It is contended that keeping exotics in captivity generates two main advantages to the species from which they emanate.  Both are associated with the long-term survival, and hence conservation, of the species.  The first advantage is that species subject to sustainable trade in wild-caught individuals – as, for example, under the auspices of CITES – achieve an economic value to those people who share its habitat.  This in turn makes it more likely that local people will conserve both the species and habitat into the future rather than take short-term options such as slash-and-burn agriculture, wholesale destruction of the species either for food or to counter its activities as an ‘agricultural pest’ or competitor.  The second advantage is that having the species maintained in captivity serves as a fallback should the species become threatened in the wild.  There are countless examples of successful ex situ breeding programmes – many dominated by private keepers – and the husbandry regimes and commercialisation through the pet industry of specialist equipment (only possible through a larger market but then also utilised amongst the zoo fraternity) is for the great majority of species largely or solely reliant upon interest from the private sector.

 

The reasons why people wish to keep animals and share their lives with them are myriad.  With exotic species the keeper is usually fascinated with the animal in question and its natural history and wishes to understand more by close observance.  Many people wish to observe and record the reproductive behaviour of the species whilst many others wish to participate in formal breeding programmes and often combine this with making trips to the country of origin and in making charitable donations dedicated to in situ conservation.  In all these cases it is indisputable that the keeper is deriving a great deal of intrinsic benefit from the keeping of their animals and many major studies show that ownership of animals increases human life spans, deceases the incidence of illness and decreases the likelihood of children being disruptive in school or turning to crime in later life.

 

The benefits to mankind are, primarily, a combination of those evidenced for the species and the keeper.  By aiding – either through sustainable utilisation or through ex situ keeping and breeding – the keeping of exotic animals helps to ensure the survivability of the species in the longer term.  This in turn ensures that future generations of mankind can marvel at the natural world, derive pleasure and fascination upon observing species both in the wild state and in captivity and be satisfied that their custodianship of this earth is bearing fruit.  Likewise, mankind in general benefits from the fact that a significant percentage of the population keep animals within their households, saving significant sums of money within the health service and by decreasing the loss from the economy from work absences, decreasing the levels of criminality and developing a generally more caring attitude within society as a whole.