Russia Considering Ban on Exotic Pets: Crocodiles, and Penguins in the Cross Hairs

Humboldt Penguin

Exotic animals such as crocodiles, tigers and penguins may soon be disappearing from homes in Russia as parliament is considering a bill which would help cut down the number of animals which could be kept as pets.

Yevgeny Tugolukov, the chairman of the lower house’s natural resources committee, has commented that a pending bill on the care of animals may also include a list of animals which are “inadvisable to keep at home”.

That list of animals would include “exotic” animals such as crocodiles, snakes and monkeys which are rather popular amongst the people of Russia, but can also promote the spread of rather nasty diseases.

This bill was submitted to the State Duma this past Monday.

It will help to drive the responsibility of pet owners to take good care of their pets home, and is in response to a steep rise of cases of animal cruelty. However, there are very few cases of animal cruelty which actually make it to court.

The latest outrage, which helped to prompt the promotion of this new bill, was from a woman in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, who had kept a rare Amur tiger in a cage. However, the biggest outrage comes not from the crime, but from the punishment. She is expected to pay a “hefty” fine of 2,500 rubles or about 80 US dollars.

Russia is known as being a nation filled with pet lovers, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is no exception. His rather extensive group of pets was just recently made larger by a Karakachan puppy, which was a thoughtful gift from Boyko Borisov. While the gift may not have done anything to improve politics, it did bring a smile to his face.