Exotic pet amnesty day in Connecticut

Connecticut's first exotic pet amnesty day occured on July 25, a result of a woman being attacked and injured by a chimpanzee in February. Held at the Beardsley Zoo, exotic pet owners were given the opportunity to surrender their pets with no consequences.

Over 100 exotic pets were turned in, including an alligator, an iguana, a monkey and a python. Pets were turned in for a variety of reasons. Feeding non-domestic pets can be expensive. In addition, finding appropriate pet care advice can be difficult for rare pets.

All pets turned in will get a health check at the Beardsley Zoo. Some may be kept at the zoo, while others will be turned into nature centers or educational groups. The Examiner reports that there is much more work to be done:

Although more than 100 animals were turned in, Don Goff, zoo vice president, called the situation “just the tip of the iceberg.”

Image source: hoyasmeg