Licence for a dog, not tiger!

The discovery of a California king snake on the beach at Youghal, Co Cork, earlier this month, again highlighted a continuing craze among a minority of people for exotic animals.

The snake is likely to have been dumped on the beach and we can expect more of the same in the coming weeks and months, especially as people try to get rid of unwanted pets given as Christmas gifts.

And, given the range of creatures that have been found in recent years around the country, god only knows what may turn up.

Last November, the National Exotic Animal Sanctuary reported receiving a huge amount of messages and emails regarding the sale of exotic pets on internet sites. Like most of us, it is strongly opposed to people keeping wild and dangerous animal as pets.

Current fads of breeding wild animals with their domestic cousins to create new types of pets, such as fashionable ‘supercats’ and wolf hybrids, results in many animals which need far more care than the average owner can provide, it said.

“For too long now, people have been keeping big cats, wolves, monkeys and alligators as pets,’’ said a spokesperson for the Co Meath-based sanctuary.

People are legally entitled to do that as there is no law in Ireland preventing people from owning such pets. You need a licence for a dog, but you do not need a licence for a tiger, which seems absolutely daft. Anything can turn up at any time. For instance, around 100 lethal spiders and scorpions were found in a house in Co Carlow after the occupant moved out.

An escaped male racoon, native to north America, was captured in a Dublin garden. Racoons are a species with the potential to become invasive in this country if they escape, or are released into the natural environment, according to experts. Unlike the average domesticated dog or cat, wild and exotic animals do not get on well with people who are unable to meet their needs. They may bite, scratch, or sting to show discontent.

“Most people who buy exotic animals as pets have little or no idea of what they are getting into. If they decide to surrender their pet, they will find that most shelters aren’t equipped to handle them, reputable zoos won’t take them and dealers certainly won’t want them back,’’ said the sanctuary.

It is working to provide a haven for the growing number of unwanted and neglected exotic animals, which have included lizards, turtles, snakes, marmoset monkeys, wolves and lethal spiders. It urges people thinking of getting an exotic animal to do their research first and is available to help people in difficulty with an exotic animal at [e-mail] or Facebook.