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About Jonathan Wright
Expertise
I can answer questions about wild mammals, as well as other wild animals. I can also answer questions on extinct animals and zoos. PLEASE DON'T SEND ME ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT PETS. IF YOU ARE REALLY WORRIED, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A VETERINARIAN. PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME THAT UNPAID PEOPLE ON ALLEXPERTS ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY AND WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH ADVICE THE MOMENT YOUR ANIMAL GETS ILL. Find out how to look after a pet before you get it. It is unfair to keep an animal in inappropriate conditions and give it the wrong food. If you can't keep an animal in good conditions, please don't bring it into your home. I'm not a vet and I don't have any expertise in animal medicine and care. I don't agree with people taking animals out of the wild and then expecting other people to give free advice on how to look after them. It is cruel to take animals away from their parents, who are able to look after the babies and may look for them, while putting their other babies at risk. You may need a licence to look after some animals. You may be breaking the law by keeping wild animals; please check with a local wildlife organisation. IF YOU FIND AN INJURED ANIMAL, PLEASE CONTACT A WILDLIFE VETERINARIAN OR CHARITY AND LET TRAINED STAFF LOOK AFTER THE ANIMAL. DO NOT TRY TO LOOK AFTER AN INJURED ANIMAL IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Please do not remove eggs from nests. The mother birds will know the right temperature for the eggs and will not sit on them if the temperature is warm enough for them to develop naturally. It is illegal to remove eggs of some species and, unless you have an incubator or a broody hen, the egg may not develop. If you are allowed to touch the eggs, you can candle them (check details on websites) to see if the eggs are fertile. If the eggs are not fertile, they will not hatch. I do not agree with fights between different animals. Please do not ask me questions about them.

Experience
I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two years old. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.

Organizations
World Wide Fund for Nature. Zoological Society of London. London Bat Group.

Publications
Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group

Education/Credentials
BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' levels in Zoology and Chemistry. 'O' Level in Biology.

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Veterinary Medicine > Wild Animals > ocelot

Wild Animals - ocelot

Expert: Jonathan Wright - 10/29/2009

Question
I was wondering if I would be able to get an ocelot as a pet in Canada BC?

Answer
Dear Kat

Thank you for your question. I also wish to thank the authors of the websites I used.

http://exoticpets.about.com/b/2009/03/18/british-columbia-bans-exotic-pets.htm gives details about changes in British Columbia's laws about keeping exotic pets. It also includes a list of banned pets, as well as comments about keeping wild animals as pets. The ocleot is not among the list of banned species, so it seems that you could keep one as a pet in British Columbia.

I wouldn't recommend keeping a pet ocelot (see http://en.allexperts.com/q/Wild-Animals-705/Ocelots.htm). While some people find them to be good pets, others have had problems with them. There is also the problem of how the seller obtains them. Many exotic pets are obtained through destroying natural habitat and killing adult animals to obtain the young. Many people do not have the right conditions to keep exotic pets and keep them for the wrong reasons. It is not a good idea to get an exotic pet because it looks cute or fierce. As ocelots are endangered animals, if you have no intention of breeding them, for possible release into the wild, I would suggest that you obtain a more conventional pet.

All the best

Jonathan

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