Invasive Pets

Most of us are aware of how destructive invasive species can be. They out compete native animals and plants and throw the local ecosystems into chaos. We have heard the various stories of how zebra mussels are taking over Lake Michigan or the threat that Asian Carp pose. Perhaps we have even seen the Japanese beetles devour our gardens. It doesn’t often seem to occur to people that our own beloved pets can contribute to the invasive species problem.
One of the many sources of pets-gone-invasive are abandoned pets. The problems these released pets can cause are enormous. First of all releasing a pet into the wild does not guarantee its survival, not all animals survive. It is very likely that the animal the owner is trying to “give a chance to be free” will not live very long at all on their own. After all, as a pet they had most if not all of their needs taken care of for them, on their own they have to find it all themselves. Then you have the problems from the opposite extreme, some released pets do too well. They become invasive species, able to out-compete the native animals and wreak havoc on local ecosystems. In some cases they even are doing well enough to breed and are really causing native animal populations to dwindle.
One case of abandoned pets causing damage is the growing population of “wild” Burmese Pythons in Florida. These snakes originally were household pets most likely bought at a pet store and cared for by those who brought them home. Now, Burmese Pythons can make good pets if you’re into snakes and are willing to care for them and consider their needs. Not everyone who brings home a Burmese Python considers everything that goes into owning one, however. They don’t realize how big the snakes can grow, or what it takes to maintain them. For whatever reason these would-be python owners decided they were no longer able to keep them, so they let them go. Big mistake. The Burmese Python population in Florida is growing and destroying native animals, many of which aren’t doing so well to begin with. To top it off this ecological danger has led Congress to pass a Python Ban that punishes all would be reptile enthusiasts because a few made a bad decision.
These are just the “exotic” pets who cause this much damage. Other not so “exotic” pets can also inflict substantial damage to native animals. Feral cats and even not-so-feral outdoor cats are amazingly detrimental to local song bird and small mammal populations. These domesticated cats act as highly skilled invasive predators that efficiently out-compete native predators of small animals. Studies have averaged that a single cat will kill 25 animals per year. It is no joke when bird watchers complain of the neighbor’s cat killing all the songbirds.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that no one should have any cats or pythons or pets in general, but there are things one can do to limit their negative environmental impact. Before getting a pet please consider all the responsibility and needs they require. What food, shelter, attention, and medical care do they need? How long do they live? How much will they grow? In the case of cats consider keeping them indoors which in addition to preventing untold deaths on local songbirds will also keep them healthier and help them live longer. If for whatever reason you find yourself no longer able to care for your pet do your best to find a new owner to adopt them. Most important of all do not ever consider releasing them to the wild.
Pets are amazing and enjoyable to have, but please consider their impacts.

References:
http://www.livescience.com/16204-florida-invasive-reptiles-amphibians.html http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/17/us/florida-python-ban/index.html?iref=allsearch http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/resourcesgeneral/a/exoticsrelease.htm http://joomla.wildlife.org/documents/cats_ecological_impacts.pdf