So why not penguins? Penguins are waterfowl and flightless birds that live in the southern hemisphere. Countries such as South Africa, Australia, Peru, Chile, New Zealand and several subantarctic islands are home to the 18 species of penguins. Eleven of these species are officially listed as threatened. This will give you an idea of why governments are unlikely to start allowing penguins as pets. Did you know that you can sponsor a penguin through a conservation organization? Unless you`re the owner of a wealthy zoo, it`s as close as you can be to having a penguin as a pet. According to Florida`s administrative code, Class I animals are illegal to possess and Class II animals require a permit. Class I animals include bears, big cats, rhinos, crocodiles, chimpanzees and more. Class II includes howler monkeys, macaques, bobcats, pumas, cheetahs, alligators, wolves, giraffes and more. A 2010 law prohibits the import, sale and release of non-native species. This law further restricts the capture and keeping of venomous reptiles and other reptiles of concern, unless the owner already had a permit before the law. You do not need a permit to keep ferrets, parrots, hedgehogs, chinchillas and other small rodents. To keep all penguin species happy, you need to keep the temperature at 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit. As you can imagine, this type of thermal balance is not easy to achieve, especially in the southern states.
That means you`ll have to buy and install refrigeration appliances, which means you should expect astronomical utility bills next month. Owning a primate is becoming difficult in the U.S. Some states might allow it. Interestingly, The Guardian says that around 4,500 primates are privately owned in the UK. This number includes monkeys, lemurs and bush babies. Some of them belong to qualified professionals. But most are kept by regular pet owners, as it is technically legal to have one in the UK. True, you will not be able to take your loved ones home and take care of them, but you will influence their lives and contribute to the conservation of the species.
Permits are required for the importation, transportation and possession of illegally possessed wildlife. Ferrets aren`t the only exotic animals Hawaii forbids its residents. The state of Aloha also prohibits pet owners from having geckos. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources states that wild-caught geckos in Hawaii can be legally kept “as long as they are not the non-native Tokaj geckos or one of the day geckos listed as harmful and illegal wildlife species to be imported.” These species are insectivorous, which has changed Hawaii`s ecology. It doesn`t matter if you have two or twenty penguins; You will need a large saltwater pool for the enclosure. These waddling things love to swim and play in the water, and they need plenty of space for the whole shebang. Some species of bats are state-protected animals. This means that it is illegal to kill them even if they end up in your home.
But if you`ve always dreamed of having your own bat den or working on your echolocation skills, you`re going to have a hard time in the United States. The same federal protection also makes it illegal to capture wild bats for domestication. Pennsylvania does not list exotic animals that are legal to own without a permit. Non-native raccoons can be kept as pets with proper veterinary inspection and proof of legal ownership. You will also need to find a veterinarian who can diagnose and treat penguins. Before you consider owning a penguin, make sure you find a veterinarian who can treat and diagnose a penguin. For most penguin species, you need to keep the temperature around 30-40 degrees F. You`ll also need an Olympic-sized saltwater pool for them, with a much more powerful ventilation and cleaning system than a regular home pool. “Skunks should be considered illegal until they are checked otherwise,” PetUseful advises potential owners. According to a 2008 PBS report, only 17 states allowed people to own skunks as pets. Keep in mind that cities may also have their own rules for pet ownership, especially when it comes to these unpopular animals. So check with your local government before deciding that a skunk can settle in your home.
If you don`t own/work in a zoo, wild animals like penguins should stay where they most like to live, in their natural environment with their own species. Sure, they look super cute in the photos, but the reality of holding a penguin is quite different. They are messy and noisy. You can hear them from miles away. Let`s take a closer look at why penguins wouldn`t make a good pet! In this case, penguins could be one of the worst pets of all time. This is due to a variety of factors, including excessive need for care, massive appetite, social needs requiring a pack of 20 or more birds, not to mention the crazy illegality of owning a penguin. We`re sorry if this dashed your hopes of keeping a penguin as a pet, but if you want to know more about why it`s not possible or legal, read on. What if it wasn`t? If you could buy one, your own skipper or Kowalski would definitely beat any average dog, right? But can you actually get a penguin as a pet in the United States? Read on to find out. It is illegal to possess dangerous regulated animals, including: Add to that the fact that you`ll also have to make up for the lost nutrients and minerals they otherwise get naturally, and hopefully you can understand why it`s not possible to keep a penguin as a pet. Most veterinarians have no experience with penguins. Specific veterinarians who work closely with zoos may know something about penguin treatment, but penguins are specialized and rare.
A pet penguin would be less likely to encounter a predator like a seal, but it would still need occasional medical attention. In other states, including Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and Virginia, they are legal to possess but are subject to restrictions. Georgia, for example, prohibits them as pets, but allows them with a breeder`s license. Maine needs a permit, but it would have “hesitated to issue one.” And Ohio allows them if you cut their flight feathers. Many states want to prevent large colonies of free-flying Quakers from forming and destroying vegetation. Since penguins eat a lot, logic says they also have a lot of waste. Not only do they drop it wherever they are – walking or swimming – but they also drive it four feet – or more. This kind of chaos would be painful to clean up every day. The possession of large carnivores such as lions, tigers and bears is illegal, as are monkeys, baboons and macaques. There is also a limit of six animals per owner for bobcats, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, quail, opossums, coyotes, deer, red foxes and gray foxes.
If you acquired an animal in another state, you must prove that it was acquired legally. The United States is one of many countries that have passed laws to protect Antarctic penguins. It is defined in the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. Over the years, however, penguins have been hunted for oil, killed as food, as slaughtered fat used as fuel. There are also threats to penguin habitats, such as global climate change. Other challenges these endangered animals face in the wild include: For a long time, penguins have been hunted and killed for food and fat, while their habitats have been constantly destroyed by climate change and human unconsciousness. As a result, out of eighteen penguin species known to mankind, ten are currently considered endangered. Penguins come in all sizes, from the great emperor penguin, which weighs about 75 pounds and is nearly four feet tall, to the smaller Little Blue penguins, which weigh only two pounds and grow to 16″ tall.
Today, all penguin species are protected by law from hunting and egg collection. This means that you cannot import an African penguin or a blue penguin. No matter how cute or stylish these birds are, they really won`t make a good pet. Let me tell you more about the reasons. Add to that the annual budget for food (about $1,000 per penguin) and all the expenses to get a proper shelter and pool, and you`ll see that getting a penguin is quite an investment. If you`re running a small zoo and you`re on a tight budget, you need to plan this thoroughly. The actual list of penguin adoption organizations is not as short as the one given above. If you don`t like what they offer, be sure to do more research. If you can`t keep a penguin as a pet, you might as well do something to help, right? Most people make the classic mistake of assuming that penguins really need ice and very cold weather. While this is true for some species, it doesn`t make penguins easy to care for. Far from it.
Unfortunately, you won`t see penguins for sale on this site or any other website. Illegal wildlife trade affects the dwindling population of the world`s most beautiful and unique animals, including penguins, elephants, pangolins and tigers. In addition, illegal wildlife trade also has a negative impact on humans. For example, the first SARS pandemic of the 21st century has been shown to have occurred during the first SARS pandemic. It is associated with China`s “wet” markets, where wild animals are processed, bought and sold for pets, food or superstition.
