WASHINGTON – On Monday, July 17, a woman was found killed by nine wolf-dog hybrids she kept in an enclosure outside her home in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. In Hanover, Ohio during the same week, three wolves kept as pets escaped their pen and attacked a neighbor's dog.
In light of these incidents, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) continues to urge the states to ban private possession, breeding and sales of wild animals as pets.
"This tragic loss of life can be avoided," said Don Elroy, HSUS director of wildlife advocacy. "Wild animals belong in the wild. Keeping them as pets threatens both public safety and animal welfare. They can injure and kill, they can spread deadly disease and the average pet owner cannot provide proper care for them."
Crossbreeding wolves with domesticated dogs produces animals with the same wild instincts of the wolf. They are extremely unpredictable as pets, especially around children. A 13-month-old boy was killed by a wolf hybrid kept as a pet in Idaho in 2003, a five-year-old Kentucky boy was killed in 2002, and a five-year-old boy was killed by a wolf hybrid who belonged to the boy's grandmother in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2000.
Wild animals have needs that are difficult to meet in captivity, including specialized diets and sufficient space. A Pennsylvania humane officer estimated that the pack of nine wolf hybrids in her state should have had 50 to 100 square miles to roam.
More than 20 states prohibit the possession of certain wild animals as pets. Ohio law allows wolves and wolf hybrids to be kept without a license. Pennsylvania law requires a permit for them. However, according to Pennsylvania authorities, the nine wolf hybrids were not licensed as wild animals. Instead they were licensed as domesticated dogs.
"Requiring licensing of wild animals can be a good start in controlling these situations, but proved not to be sufficient in the Pennsylvania case," added Elroy. "Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states that allow exotic pets should ban them before the next person is injured or killed."
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than 9.5 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammals, animals in research, equine protection and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy, and field work. The nonprofit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country.
