2023-05-09 09:08:03
Since the beginning of the year, anyone who wants to keep exotic animals in their home as pets in Vienna has had to provide proof of competence. The team of experts at Schönbrunn Zoo is now offering mandatory courses for keeping reptiles, amphibians and parrots. It explains the right care, legal husbandry regulations or safe handling, as the zoo announced on Tuesday.
“If you have to deal intensively with the needs of an animal before purchasing it, suffering among the animals and frustration among the animal owners can be prevented in advance,” said Anton Weissenbacher, head of the zoological department and one of the course instructors at Schönbrunn Zoo. The zoo expressly welcomes the new regulation in Vienna.
Many animals, such as the Greek tortoise, a bearded dragon or a blue crowned dragon, are often bought too quickly, according to the zoo. At home, the bitter awakening often follows. “Often, the costs for species-appropriate housing and the care required are underestimated,” says Weissenbacher. Before making a purchase, women and men should consider who can look after the animals when they are on vacation and whether there is enough space for the terrarium. There are no so-called “beginner reptiles” for the expert.
When it comes to endangered reptiles, the zoo very often cooperates with private keepers who have had good breeding success and have a lot of expert knowledge. In the case of many groups of animals, especially fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds, effective protection of species outside their natural habitat is no longer conceivable without private experts. Most animal keepers would also have started keeping an exotic animal as a child.
Currently, the certificate of competence for reptiles, amphibians and parrots is only available in Vienna. According to the animal welfare ombudsman in Vienna, interest in the courses is great. Several hundred people have already completed it. The courses are standardized for all providers. They last four hours and the participation fee is 40 euros. In the zoo, the courses take place in a seminar room, so there is no entrance fee to be paid in addition to the course fee.
The proof of competence for dog owners is considered a model of the exotic animal regulation in Vienna. The proof must be presented at the official registration, which is prescribed for such wild animals in the nationwide animal protection law. Pet owners who have already registered their pet with scales or feathers did not have to provide proof later. It only applies to new owners who have been doing this for the animal species in question for the first time since this year. Last but not least, the occasion was cases in which abandoned animals were discovered and which testified to the excessive demands placed on their keepers.
(SERVICE – Registration and further information about the courses are available at www.exoten-kunde.at available.)
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