(MY) eoxtics

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Local-New Straits Times

 

More exotic pets being abandoned

Elizabeth John

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs

--

 

Exotic pets are outliving their owners' fascination for them.

Dozens of these creatures are abandoned on Zoo Negara's doorstep every

year, said its director Dr Mohamad Ngah.

 

From the common to the bizarre, the zoo has received almost 1,000

unwanted pets since 1996, he said.

 

" Sometimes people simply drop the animal off at the gate and run off, " he said.

 

These included animals whose survival in the wild is threatened, and

even protected species for which owners need licences to keep, he

said.

 

He said the burgeoning pet trade is mostly to blame, with thousands of

animals, many endangered, captured for sale in pet shops.

 

" If we want to solve this problem, we must look into the pet

industry, " he said at a workshop organised by TRAFFIC Southeast Asia,

which monitors the wildlife trade.

 

Animals rescued from the cooking pot or those that wandered into homes

were rare.

 

Some owners discovered their pets were not as tame as they thought,

and had attacked people. Others found their pets needed more care than

they were prepared to give.

 

Abandoned pets were sometimes left in bad shape, requiring long stays

at the animal hospital, he said. Some were malnourished and several

did not survive.

 

Reptiles turn up the most frequently: owners have left green iguanas,

reticulated pythons, terrapins and even venomous cobras and vipers.

 

Next are rodents, including giant black squirrels that can grow up to

45cm in length.

 

People have also left primates such as the nocturnal slow loris and

the pig-tailed macaque which is on the World Conservation Union's Red

List for " vulnerable " creatures.

 

Felines like leopard cats and palm civets that were once pets have

also ended up at the gate. Birds have been the least.

 

Protected wildlife are sent to the Malacca Zoo, which is the

designated rescue facility.

 

The Wildlife and National Parks Department is usually informed and

takes over such cases, he said.