INFORMATION

    WARFARE

  Are Animal Right’s Groups Winning the Info-War Over Exotic Animal Ownership?

 By Scott Shoemaker

 The quick answer is yes, for now at least.  How do they do it? Why is it happening? What can be done about it? 

 How do they do it?

Copyright © Valbuena Photography & REXANO

I’ve been a recent arrival to the exotic animal community and it astonished me that not many are out  there challenging the information being spouted out by AR activist groups.  Especially since the FBI considers some as terrorist organizations or supporting those that conduct terrorist acts.

 First, how they do it?  They take advantage of every opportunity and any media possible.  As soon as an incident occurs, whether an animal attack, injury, accident, confiscation, or anything remotely associated with an exotic animal (captive or wild), they use it.  AR groups immediately put out a press release, which vaguely references the actual incident.   The press release is full of misinformation and half truths, and some outright lies, along with the issues of public safety and maltreatment of animals.  Then pushing their agenda of bans on exotic animals.

These groups continue with getting their so called experts air time and press on whoever will take them.  Next are the letter to the editors, writing campaigns, and finding a legislator gullible enough to put forth legislation that has been written by the AR groups themselves.

If no incidents are occurring for them to take advantage of, they invent them.  Don’t you find it odd that some loose exotic animal is cited in a state that has laws up for consideration?  Of course no exotic animal is ever found, not even evidence of them, but the damage and the opportunity has already been created.  If you pay attention you’ll see the trend.

Next is the use of people that have been associated with exotics in some form, whether it be a former neighbor, a sanctuary owner,  zoo personnel, former trainer or owner to push their agenda.  It has the appearance as coming from someone with experience and knowledge with these animals… so what they say must carry some merit to it (usually these people are members of the AR group or have their own agenda).

Other methods used to create attention are demonstrations, frivolous law suits, and of course terrorism and harassment.  They also attempt to get video footage of animal abuse, even from outside the United States.  The footage is well edited and narrated to show the story they want to tell, but of course it is not the whole story.  The narration, what is on the screen, what and how it actually happened/appears don’t match up.  But to a person that doesn’t know any better will take it in, never questioning what the truth really is.

AR groups are clever at coming out and expounding that they are against having captive large exotics (lions, tigers, bears etc), but what they don’t trumpet is that they are against any animal in captivity for any reason.  They don’t advertise their full mission, only the portion that gets the attention to give them a window of opportunity for submitting their ban legislation.  They say it is for banning the large exotics, but in the fine print is the fact that they are attempting to ban as many animals as possible and that they feel they can get away with before someone notices how ridiculous it is in banning certain animals in the name of public safety.  They are pushing bans and regulation the same way a realtor sells a gated community; it gives the appearance of being a secure and safer place to live, but it is just eyewash and in actuality you are not any more secure or safer (you just feel you are).

Why is it happening?

Could it be that exotic owners have better things to do than fight AR legislation, like take care of their animals?  That would be over simplistic view, but part of it rings true.  No one really wants to spend the time.  The AR groups know this and exploit it. 

The major AR groups are well funded and financed, hence they have staffs working issues and hire the talent they need.  They don’t spend money caring for any animals, or lift one finger to increase their wild habitats.  Most all their efforts (and money) go into shaping public opinion and lobbying for legislation. 

The campaigns for bans are usually focused in the urban areas versus rural.  This is because they can prey on people’s fear of the unknown.  People that grow up in cities are not exposed to nature, wild animals or have a solid foundation in dealing with any kind of animal.  Hence they are easily swayed in banning something they don’t understand.

Exotic owners of all types (this include sanctuaries) are a fragmented group that bicker amongst themselves.  Arguing who is ethical, who is just after money, what qualifies as a true sanctuary, who gets exempted from bans, which person knows what they are doing, what qualifies as a responsible owner.  It won’t matter; the AR agenda wants to ban all exotics (any animal for that matter) in captivity.  It is just a matter of time, the individual owners first, the entertainers and then the sanctuaries, they will eventually get to the creatures in your fish tank.

Exotic owners can’t seem to pool their talent in fighting legislation or in the future submitting their own legislation to repeal bans.  The exotic community is not soliciting assistance from common pet owners (it would make sense, since their pets/animals are next), cattle industry, the NRA, heck anyone having anything to do with animals.  The AR groups and agenda goes after all of them.

What can be done about it?

First realize that the world of news reporting has changed.  With the advent of 24 hour news channels, cable, the internet, news is no longer just being reported.  The news media is trying to expound on the stories, adding in commentary, seeking the emotional button, sensationalizing (sounding worse than it really is) the story to attract more viewers and/or readers. 

Media outlets are seeking to put people in front of the camera or to quote, just to add to the commentary.  AR promoters are only too willing, actually contacting the media first, just to get their message out.  To plant the idea that having captive animals is a public safety issue and private ownership is bad.  Saying what they think, not what they know or can prove.

Challenge what these spokes people say, remember they speak in half truths and rarely have any concrete data backing up what they say.  They will mention estimated numbers, how did they come to that estimate?  They will take world wide numbers and make them sound like they are for the United States only, such as the number of big cat related deaths and follow immediately with the estimate of how many are in the US. 

The AR message is full of emotion and not facts.  Exotic animals should not be kept in captivity (actually any animal), but why not?  They feel that is wrong, that the animals are mistreated, they are trained with harsh means and severe punishment, they live in inhumane conditions, kept in cellars, garages and backyards.  Well if all that where true, wouldn’t there be more abuse cases and confiscations.  They take the example of one bad owner and portray all owners as such.  If that were the case, you could say that cause of one case of child abuse by a parent means that all parents are bad, so lets ban children to prevent this form happening. 

Many exotic animal related groups are slow to respond, whether out of fear from AR people/groups, unsure what they can do, or feel that someone else will get it done.  No one is putting up a challenge or confronting those putting out the misinformation, yet you can see email list with many people complaining and nothing else.

Private ownership groups should be contacting the media prior to any incident, then get someone to speak to them.  Offer a counterpoint to the AR sensationalism.  Educate the media and public about the facts regarding captive animals in private hands.  Expose the slight of hand of what is going on.  Have their own experts, vets, trainers and owners available for the media.

Owners groups should be pre-emptive in regards to legislation.  Why wait until legislation is introduced that will ban private ownership?  Submit legislation that addresses public safety issues, caging requirement, feeding, the precautions that responsible owners already do.  Putting forth legislation to repeal or modify bans.

Exotic groups need to get over their fear of the press, afraid that they will twist the story into something against private ownership.  I’m not saying trust all elements of the press, always record what is said or shown.  Just in case they do try to twist or cut it into something unfavorable.

Pretty soon it will take a court case to decide if the bans/regulations are going too far.  Who is going to fund this?  Someone should start thinking of way to challenge these laws and getting a fund ready to fight it.

Some so called sanctuaries are not helping; they actually blame private owners for the problem.  When in fact 80% or more their rescues are from licensed/regulated facilities.  These sanctuaries go so far as to make up horror stories of how the animals came to them, when in fact they actually bought them or bred them.  They fabricate and publicize that private owners are at fault.  This is being done for the money; they are deceiving the public for donations.  Then they come out in support of bans, because if no one else has exotic animals, everyone will come to them to see them (and of course donate or spend their money in the gift shop).  Never mind that once bans are approved, they claim to be full.  Unless there is a high profile, media frenzy case; then the sanctuaries fight over who gets them, because where the animal goes, so does the money.

Another issue is to expose the AR complete agenda, show that they are after ranching, cattle, horses, eating of any meat (including fish).  Show that exotic captive animals bans is just the tip of the iceberg, that they want to ban having any captive animals and there is no middle ground for them. 

Last, educate the general public about exotic animals in captivity.  That yes, just like any large animal, it comes with risk.  Show them what responsible ownership means and its effect on safety.  Don’t wait for the public to come to you, actively go after the public in general.  If you soothe their fears, which AR try to stir up, it will become a non-issue.