A Research Framework for the Geographic Study of Exotic Pet Mammals in the USA Gabrielle C
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Theses and Dissertations in Geography Geography Program (SNR) Spring 1-2015 A Research Framework for the Geographic Study of Exotic Pet Mammals in the USA Gabrielle C. Tegeder University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geographythesis Part of the Human Geography Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Other Geography Commons, Place and Environment Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Tegeder, Gabrielle C., "A Research Framework for the Geographic Study of Exotic Pet Mammals in the USA" (2015). Theses and Dissertations in Geography. 27. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geographythesis/27 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Geography Program (SNR) at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations in Geography by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. A RESEARCH FRAMEWORK FOR THE GEOGRAPHIC STUDY OF EXOTIC PET MAMMALS IN THE USA by Gabrielle C. Tegeder A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Major: Geography Under the Supervision of Professors Paul Hanson and Christina Dando Lincoln, Nebraska January, 2015 ii A REASEARCH FRAMEWORK FOR THE GEOGRAPHIC STUDY OF EXOTIC PET MAMMALS IN THE USA Gabrielle C. Tegeder, Ph.D. University of Nebraska, 2015 Exotic animals are not well-represented in geographic studies, even in the emerging sub-field of animal geography. With the dearth of exotic animal studies, and the relevance of exotic pets in the public consciousness and in the news, a basic, introductory study such as this is necessary to begin examining the myriad ways in which exotic pets intersect with, and have influence in, both the site and situation of modern human-oriented environments. Exotic pet attack incidents and both state and federal laws regarding the private ownership of exotic mammals as pets were examined in detail within the scope of this research. In addition, a survey of 133 exotic pet owners across the country indicated a variety of animals owned, as well as diverse viewpoints on the issues associated with ownership of exotic animals as pets, many of which stress the health and safety of both humans and animals. This dissertation provides a foundation into the subject of exotic pet ownership in the United States, and gives some insight into the complex relationships between these animals, the people that own them, and the human-constructed environment they share. This largely unexplored topic requires more attention so that we may examine attitudes about, and laws regarding, exotic pet ownership and its impact on people, on animals, and on the spaces in which they interact. These and other issues can be – and indeed, should be – explored within a geographic research framework. iii Copyright 2015, Gabrielle C. Tegeder Author’s Acknowledgements I would like to thank the members of my committee for taking a chance on this research project – this is not a subject any of them knew much about and it was a gamble – so thank you Dr. Richard Randle for taking a chance on supporting me in this research topic, Dr. Paul Hanson for helping to prioritize and organize especially at the end, Dr. James Merchant for filling in during my time of need, and Dr. Christina Dando, who gave me much needed advice, encouragement, and reinforcement throughout the process. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Douglas Amedeo for initially taking me on with this project, which was far afield of his normal research. A very grateful thank you must be given to Paul Hunt, who significantly improved and polished the maps. Finally, I would like to thank Kelly Johnson for encouragement and significant help in editing the initial draft; and most of all my husband, Gregory Tegeder, for his constant proof-reading, and support, and above all else, his insistence that I finish what I started. iv Table of Contents LIST OF MULTIMEDIA OBJECTS .............................................................................................. v CHAPTER 1: STUDYING EXOTIC PETS WITHIN A GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT .................. 1 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY ......................................... 18 CHAPTER 3: EXOTIC PET LAWS ............................................................................................. 29 CHAPTER 4: INCIDENTS OF EXOTIC PET ATTACKS .......................................................... 78 CHAPTER 5: EXOTIC PET SURVEY ...................................................................................... 107 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH .................................................. 137 DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................................. 141 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 144 APPENDIX A: LAW SUMMARIES .......................................................................................... 161 APPENDIX B: EXOTIC PET INCIDENTS, JANUARY 2000 – DECEMBER 2012 ............... 173 APPENDIX C: EXOTIC PET INCIDENTS, BY STATE .......................................................... 186 APPENDIX D: FATALITIES BY STATE (MAMMAL INCIDENTS IN BOLD) .................... 188 APPENDIX E: INJURIES TO NON-FAMILY MEMBERS BY EXOTIC PETS ..................... 190 APPENDIX F: SURVEY RESULTS OF STATISTICAL DATA .............................................. 195 APPENDIX G: SURVEY RESULTS OF OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS .................................. 208 APPENDIX H: SURVEY QUESTIONS ..................................................................................... 236 APPENDIX I: SPECIES REPRESENTED IN SURVEY ........................................................... 240 APPENDIX J: EXOTIC PET NUMBERS, BY STATE ............................................................. 241 v LIST OF MULTIMEDIA OBJECTS Table 2.1 Values assigned to each animal class to determine restrictiveness ranking. .... 23 Figure 3.1: Pet wolf hybrid ............................................................................................... 30 Figure 3.2: Legality of big cats. ........................................................................................ 49 Figure 3.3: Legality of native cats.. .................................................................................. 51 Figure 3.4: Pet serval ........................................................................................................ 52 Figure 3.5: Legality of small cats.. ................................................................................... 53 Figure 3.6: Legality of wolves.. ........................................................................................ 54 Figure 3.7: Pet wolf hybrid ............................................................................................... 55 Figure 3.8: Legality of wolf hybrids. ................................................................................ 56 Figure 3.9: Pet fennec fox ................................................................................................. 58 Figure 3.10: Legality of foxes. .......................................................................................... 59 Figure 3.11: Pet raccoon .................................................................................................. 60 Figure 3.12: Legality of raccoons. .................................................................................... 60 Figure 3.13: Legality of skunks. ....................................................................................... 62 Figure 3.14: Pet squirrel monkey ...................................................................................... 64 Figure 3.15: Legality of primates. ..................................................................................... 65 Figure 3.16: Legality of hedgehogs. ................................................................................. 67 Figure 3.17: Legality of deer. ........................................................................................... 68 Figure 3.18: Legality of bears. .......................................................................................... 69 Table 3.1: Restrictiveness rank and score of state laws relating to exotic pets ................ 70 Figure 3.19: Restrictiveness of state laws relating to exotic pets, based upon ranking and score in table 3.1.. ...................................................................................................... 75 Table 4.1: Total number of reported incidents of injury and fatality due to exotic pets, by year (2000-2012) ....................................................................................................... 81 Figure 4.1: Trendlines for reported exotic pet incidents and fatalities, 2000-2012 .......... 82 Figure 4.2: Fatalities as a % of total reported incidents for all exotic pets, and for mammals only, 2000-2012 ........................................................................................ 83 Figure 4.3: Reported fatalities attributed to exotic pets in the United States, January 2000- December 2012 .........................................................................................................