Is it illegal ?

Z

zoocalling1

New Member
So.... I just so happen to know that a keeper from a certain zoo took in a meerkat to hand rear with the intention of it eventually starting its own breeding group. However, i know that the keeper has took in the meerkat and is treating it as a pet, as updating facebook pictures of it cuddling her dog and her letting every person they cross play with it. I think its disgusting, but can anything actually be done about it ? :mad:
 
Is it illegal?

Why would it be illegal? As a social animal, a Meerkat is fairly well suited to life as a household pet. It's largely a matter of taste -- I wouldn't want one. However, there may be imprinting/socialising issues that prevent this animal mixing appropriately with other Meerkats in the future.
 
My problem with it is that this was not an animal within the pet trade, it was a zoo animal. Surely in cannot be legal to just take an animal away and keep it at home, would you do it with a lion? bit extreme but same principle. The zoo is an awful place anyway with no moral standards or professionalism.
 
As long as he/she haven´t taken it without zoo´s approval, or broken any other internal rule or local law, there is nothing illegal about it, I quess?

How else to hand-rear a mammal young that requires feeding every 2-3 hours and needs physical contact to feel secure?

Most hand-reared zoo animals grew up this way, at keepers´s homes, within their family. Including lions, polar bears, leopards, orangs, gibbons, sloths and even an elephant, if I recall just the last ca 15 years.
 
I see little wrong with it, at the zoo I volunteer at, during emergency measures, the keepers will bring the more valuable birds home with them for safe keeping.

Its kind of funny, stopping in to see several birds of paradise and some other birds that are facing extinction in the wild, just chilling in a keepers living room :P
 
There's nothing wrong in hand-raising and (even if intentionally) imprinting a small mammal.
If this meerkat will not be able to live in the group, it always can be an 'animal ambassador'.
In my zoo, meerkats are hand-raised every year and transferred to other facilities early, without introduction to the group (which consists of 2.2). Though the reason for hand-rearing are either abandoning by the female or babies' health problems.
Besides zoos, some of those meerkats come to exotic animal breeders/keepers (paperwork for this species isn't that long), one male is used in zoo's educational programs.
About professionalism: would you prefer the baby die (the 'natural' way) or attempt to save it?
For more endangered species (like great apes & pandas), hand-raising is justified, if being the only acceptable way (e.g. when foster female is unavailable).
Imprinted males of solitary species are nearly as valuable as naturally-raised ones (male's role in breeding is quite simple, and they can even allow sperm extraction without being restrained!)
 
While it's not a good idea, in my opinion, as long as the zoo gave the keeper permission to take the meerkat home and the keeper isn't violating any local laws then it's not illegal. Unethical, if she's treating it like a pet, but not illegal. The San Diego Safari Prk had a female meerkat a few years ago that needed to be separated from the rest of the mob, but they kept it at the park but n a different area and eventually they formed another, smaller mob.
 
FBBird said:
Why would it be illegal? As a social animal, a Meerkat is fairly well suited to life as a household pet. It's largely a matter of taste -- I wouldn't want one. However, there may be imprinting/socialising issues that prevent this animal mixing appropriately with other Meerkats in the future.
Click to expand...

I agree with various people's posts in this thread - I researched meerkats as pets some time ago out of curiosity. I came across multiple horror stories of people who bought just one meerkat and kept it on its own and it shredded up their house (amongst other things). Meerkats NEED socialising so actually having dogs and people around it is an excellent idea if it has to be separated.

As for keeping it as a pet - well many people keep all sorts of animals as pets - in my eyes if she really wanted to keep it anyway surely it's better coming out of a zoo then her getting it from the pet trade? Particularly the illegal pet trade, they do NOT need encouragement. If people want something then they are going to do it - I would rather they did it in a way that doesn't cause even more problems to animals in the wild!

In terms of legality - as long as the zoo knows and are fine with it there's no issue because you don't need a license to keep meerkats.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/2465/pdfs/uksi_20072465_en.pdf
That's the list that does require a license.
 
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Hmm, given that these were the only two posts of two this person made, and given the poor spelling and punctuation, this appears to be a child attempting to stir up trouble....
 
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