Rotherham, England, resident Ashley Betts has been fined for keeping a four-foot alligator named Cliff in his backyard. The 32-year-old kept the reptile in a tank for a year before law enforcement discovered it last summer, the BBC reported.
Betts claimed he did not know a special license was required to keep exotic animals and pleaded guilty in March to violating the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, per the news outlet. He was ordered to pay £1,000 in fines, or roughly $1,300.
Betts hopes to get Cliff, who is now in a temporary home at a park in Liverpool, back after obtaining the appropriate license. Betts was not prosecuted for animal cruelty, and the court indicated "there was no suggestion" Cliff was "kept poorly or in a way that was unsafe to other people," according to the BBC.
Keeping a wild animal as a pet can be problematic for several ethical and environmental reasons. A pet owner is unlikely to provide an alligator with the space, water quality, and proper diet it needs for a long, healthy life. American alligators like Cliff typically live for around 50 years in the wild and grow over 10 feet long, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. In captivity, alligators often suffer from stress, malnutrition, and disease. Many owners ultimately abandon the animals when they become unmanageable.
In terms of their impact on the environment, if released into or living in an area where they are not native, alligators can disrupt local ecosystems by preying on native species and competing for resources. Further, removing a wild alligator from its natural habitat can disrupt that ecosystem's food chain, affecting prey and predator populations. If a "pet" alligator escapes or is released, it could spread disease to local wild populations. Not to mention, having a dangerous, wild animal as a pet can be quite hazardous to one's local community.
While Betts may have good intentions with Cliff, this situation highlights the many challenges and risks of keeping wild animals as pets. Alligators belong in their natural habitats or in specialized care facilities and sanctuaries, not backyard tanks, where their welfare and the environment can be compromised.
|
When you're buying pet food, which of these factors in most important to you? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Price 💰 
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
