Oh dear god in heaven, NO!
Wild animals make poor pets, but hyenas make absolutely one of the worst pets in the world.
Let’s just start by saying that in most US states this would be wildly illegal. Even if you could get a permit in those states that allow such things, anyone reasonable would look at the request and say “no.” In fact, Florida, which has pretty lax laws concerning exotics as pets, is now considering banning hyenas.
Have you ever seen a “tame” hyena in a show? There’s a reason for that. The alleged “African hyena handlers” do not have them as “pets.” These are a group of traveling…call them buskers…not unlike the snake-charmers of India and dancing-bear-handlers of Eastern Europe. And just like those animals, these hyenas are kept muzzled most of the time, often treated with great brutality, often kept drugged, never allowed to go hungry because if they were hungry they would become aggressive, and are not pets, they are simply the way these men make their living.
http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/fatal-attractions/videos/my-pet-hyena/
The Truth About Hyaenas: debunking hyaena myths
Myth: Hyaenas make good pets. Reality: Although a few people in Africa and Asia find very young hyaenas in nature and raise them as pets, these animals generally appear to be extremely unhappy as “domestic companions” as adults, and must often be kept muzzled at all times so that they do not harm people or property. A muzzle prevents the hyaena from being able to groom itself properly. As spotted hyaenas need several years of practice to become proficient hunters, and as they are deprived of this practice when reared as pets, it is effectively a death sentence for a captive-reared hyaena to be released into the wild. In addition, pet hyaenas cannot be released for fear that they might transfer new pathogens from captive environments into the wild. Upon reaching adulthood, many "pet" hyaenas must therefore be euthanized.
See that heavy rope muzzle? That is the only way a hyena can be kept as a “pet.” That muzzle is on the hyena all day and all night except when it is eating. And, they are kept drugged.
“Yes, the famed Hyena Men of Africa walk around with them on chains, but they also keep them drugged and never let them get hungry.”
On the unlikelihood of hyena domestication. Or: No, you can’t have one.
And no, you can’t domesticate one. Not unless you have several thousand years to spare selectively breeding the things.
No comments:
Post a Comment