Are These Illegal? [FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica] Hey everyone. I was wondering whether the following were illegal or not... Travelling to Antarctica I'm thinking of going to Antarctica. Travelling to the bottom of the world would be harsh and dangerous. Yet, I really want to go there, se what Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen went through, an isolated portion of the Earth where no "normal" human has ever gone before. Obviously, I'll be fully-prepared and won't go to the centre of the continent, where winds can reach ultra-high speeds. I'd fancy exploring the outermost rim for a few hours before returning back to New Zealand. Now, New Zealand owns a few islands off the coast of Antarctica. Is is legal for me to visit these, just like the way it is legal for me to travel from one area of my country to another? Keeping a pet fox Is it legal to own a pet fox? Many of these canids are shot in farms and countrysides. Most are considered "pests" and definitely not endangered. I've heard that they are small loyal animals, albiet a bit wild-tempered and "crazy", digging holes and constantly running around all day long. A suitable environment for a pet fox would be a large house, with wide open outdoor spaces. Apparantly they're legal to keep and have no troubles with the authorities, with even some famous figuires owning one and some being sold at various newspapers. Sure, you may be thinking that they should live in their natural habitat. But most foxes feed by raiding food scraps, killing farm animals, and spreading diseases. They are therefore, seen as "pests" and not to mention that foxhunting is a major sport. Is it legal to own a pet fox, preferably raised since early childhood? Thanks, I am looking forward to seeing your replies.[/FONT]
I think you answered your own questions but I'll comment. Yes you can go, but I wouldn't advise alone. Yes as an exotic pet, but are you sure you want to?
Actually Antarctica is administered as a scientific and natural preserve by a number of treaty nations. Luckily it is a very difficult place to get to without substantial private resources. The alternative is to take toruist flights or cruises ... some of the cruises are quite spectacular I understand, especially those that run out of S. Atlantic ports in Argentina & the Falklands/Malvinas. Foxes are not classified as dangerous animals unless they have rabies, but I would imagine they would make terrible pets. As wild creatures they are classified as pests in most developed countries and culls are frequently necessary. Also as wild creatures they domesticate poorly and to keep them caged up would, IMO, be cruel. The only conceivable purpose for keeping creatures such as foxes in some sort of captivity would be in the capacity of compassion with the purpose being to rehabilitate sick or injured animals back into the wild. Although why anyone would want to is beyond my comprehension. Sorry if I seem opinionated, but you did ask and I just gave my opinion.
It would be mean to keep a fox as a pet. It's a wild animal. It would probably bite you. And it would be miserable. And possibly starve or die of malnutrition. Tigers kept as pets often end up malnutrioned because their owners don't know what they're doing. The only time it's OK to keep a wild animal as a pet is when it couldn't survive in the wild, for whatever reason. Or if you have a licensed zoo. Otherwise, leave the poor foxies alone.
What kind of fox are you talking about? A Red, Gray or Fennec, etc? I'm not too sure which areas foxes are legal to have as pets. I know that people have had them and seem to love 'em as much as domestic dogs... and temperment, from what I've heard, is largely due to how young you get them (younger the better so it imprints easier) - but they will still have some wild-instinct unless they've been through several domestic-bred generations for temperment. However since foxes are generally wild you could very well have a hard time finding a state/province that will let you keep one without having to go through all of the exotic/wild-animal license loops. Plus, I'm sure that these animals would require a much higher-quality diet than that of a domestic since they feed largely on live-game. Your best bet would to highly research this before taking the plunge as if you accidently get the animal in a place that doesn't allow it you could be fined and worse yet have your animal taken away and possibly destroyed.
