Let’s say you brought your favorite pet to college. Three exams and two papers later, you’re realizing you don’t have the time or space to care for Steve the Snake. Well, doesn’t every animal want to be free? Letting him go into the wild is the best option, right?
Wrong! Releasing your pet is bad for both your pet and lots of native plants and animals. A pet is used to everyday care and constant shelter. Imagine all of that disappearing without having the proper skills to find food or a home. Many pets, then, would not be able to survive in the wild.
Now, imagine your pet is somehow able to survive. It is now competing with native species and killing plants and animals that have no defense against this exotic pet. If it is able to reproduce, then it can take a serious toll on the ecosystem.
There are better options than release. Local animal shelters and rescues are good ideas for cats and dogs. For exotic pets, find out when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is holding its next Exotic Pet Amnesty Day.
If you are no longer able to keep your pet, think twice about releasing it into the wild. Your pet and the ecosystem depend on it.
Katie Price is a UF wildlife and ecology senior. This guest column ran on page 7 on 12/2/2013 under the headline "Releasing pets detrimental"
