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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | » Stats |
Members: 32,207
Threads: 48,325
Posts: 523,738
Top Poster: glsammy (13,193) | | Welcome to our newest member, eug | | |
Welcome to the Wild About Britain forums | | | |  | 
05-11-2009, 07:09 AM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Caversham, Reading, Berks.
Posts: 568
| | | Invasive meerkats Hi,
Read in the paper a few days ago, that a couple had built a meerkat run in their garden and stocked it with four.
Has anyone checked whether they could become invasive, some are bound to escape from there or elsewhere.
Max.
__________________ I'm NOT a silver surfer, I'm a shiny pink one !. | 
05-11-2009, 10:19 AM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: London
Posts: 168
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats I think most (if not all) invasive began like that. What I found silly is that people are free to do all these stupid things in spite of authorities and scientists know very well of the potential invasive of species free them like that.
The african snail began like that in USA. A boy brought them to Florida (I think) and just left them free in the back garden... | 
05-11-2009, 10:34 AM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: May 2009 Location: Suffolk coast
Posts: 156
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats can you imagine if they did become invasive, getting the public to accept the need for culling these much loved creatures doesn't bere thinking about. Hopefully the couple have got sense and have re-inforced their garden.
I'm really not into the idea of keeping 'exotic' pets anyway, some people will keep them properly but most seem to have good intentions but no clue as how | 
05-11-2009, 02:29 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 100
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats Quote:
Originally Posted by metalfish can you imagine if they did become invasive, getting the public to accept the need for culling these much loved creatures doesn't bere thinking about. Hopefully the couple have got sense and have re-inforced their garden.
I'm really not into the idea of keeping 'exotic' pets anyway, some people will keep them properly but most seem to have good intentions but no clue as how | Hoping for the same thing. Are the couple clueless? or just pretending to be? | 
05-11-2009, 03:03 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Torquay, Devon
Posts: 200
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats As long as they have designed the run properly then there shouldn't be a problem, meermaks are widley kept by exotic pet keepers and they haven't over run the country yet
I well designed enclosure well have a concerte base to stop them digging out. | 
06-11-2009, 11:28 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 5
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats If you go see these animals at the zoo in the UK, you'll see that they have heatlamps all over the place on the outside. I doubt such a slender animal adapted for life in the hot savannah would make it through British winters. | 
06-11-2009, 11:38 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Gloucester
Posts: 690
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats I think the danger may come if people (not specialist exotic animal keepers but ordinary Joe Public) are influenced by certain rather popular TV ads and are able to obtain the creatures as pets (=fashion accessories) when they will be kept until the owners become bored or the animals become too much of a nuisance at which point they may be "released into the wild". Remember "ninja" turtles? Dalmation puppies thet grew into big dogs and were abandoned? Skunks which now they can't have scent glands removed are turning up in the countryside? Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs that outgrew suburban houses?
__________________ But as long as I can see the morning
And blossom comes to bud again in spring.... | 
07-11-2009, 01:15 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Wild, wet and blustery Hastings
Posts: 1,627
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobbobthebob If you go see these animals at the zoo in the UK, you'll see that they have heatlamps all over the place on the outside. I doubt such a slender animal adapted for life in the hot savannah would make it through British winters. | I was thinking along similar lines to this. Plus...what would they eat? Where would they find the right habitat? Would they be heavily predated? It's not to say they couldn't cope, but interesting to speculate as to how they (or indeed any alien species) would adapt.
__________________ "Extinction is forever." | 
07-11-2009, 07:11 AM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Caversham, Reading, Berks.
Posts: 568
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats Hi People,
Wondering how they'll adapt,? you only need to look at the very lengthy list of ADAPTED invasive species that MAFF are trying to deal with, they're fairly smart, they'll adapt alright.
I don't really want to find a tribe moved into my vegetable patch.
Max.
P.S. slender maybe, stoats, weasels anyone.?
__________________ I'm NOT a silver surfer, I'm a shiny pink one !. | 
07-11-2009, 07:48 AM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: essex/suffolk boarder
Posts: 818
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats why would anyone feel the need to keep meerkats?plus like others dont see a meerkat cull going down to well if they escaped and bred like....... well meekats or like those pygmy hedgehogs breed they'll be the next thing people dont want any more what'll happen to those people really dont think when they buy these pets jeeez it makes me a tad cross to say the least sorry for rant folks
__________________ regards matt
Life is something that everyone should try at least once. | 
07-11-2009, 03:00 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: London
Posts: 168
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats I have african snails since 5 years ago and although it is practically impossible they can survive UK winters, I put all eggs in the freezers to avoid overpopulation in my box or even if they could escape to the wild. I will do the same if I were in a tropical country and there it would be a catasthrophe if I leave them outside.
It is a big responsability have any pet, still more if it is an exotic species. Unfortunately people are too silly these days to just take animals like accesories | 
07-11-2009, 06:19 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Torquay, Devon
Posts: 200
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats Quote:
Originally Posted by epops why would anyone feel the need to keep meerkats?plus like others dont see a meerkat cull going down to well if they escaped and bred like....... well meekats or like those pygmy hedgehogs breed they'll be the next thing people dont want any more what'll happen to those people really dont think when they buy these pets jeeez it makes me a tad cross to say the least sorry for rant folks | Why do people keep dogs, cats or hamsters? Exotic pets are no different except some require a little more care, far more "normal pets" are mistreated and abandoned then exotics, and in the case of cats cause far more damage to native wildlife.
I myself have owned a fair few reptiles and marine fish and corals and see it as no ddifferent than keeping a cat or dog
Meerkats are readily available pets and many people own them, there's no need to worry about an invasion. | 
07-11-2009, 07:37 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: May 2009 Location: Brockenhurst
Posts: 416
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats The Meercats are definitely invading our country, i see them on the Tv every day, comparing each other.
Ian | 
08-11-2009, 01:07 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: London
Posts: 168
| | | Re: Invasive meerkats <<Why do people keep dogs, cats or hamsters? Exotic pets are no different except some require a little more care, far more "normal pets" are mistreated and abandoned then exotics, and in the case of cats cause far more damage to native wildlife.>>
Well if you like to have exotic pets (so do I) it is fine, it looks you are somebody responsible. However we cannot close our eyes that there are lot of silly people out there that take an animal (it doesnt matter what, a cat, a dog, a tiger or a boa) only as an accesory for their houses and after few months of having them, they realise this extra care is too much and they abandon them in the wild wich represent suffering for the animal and also a potential danger for the ecosystems.
For example in USA, the boas were very popular and by one way they have become invasives because owners left them free in Florida and also there have been disgraces when the boa ate the neighbour's cat, dog or even a baby in the same family. And all this is the result of ignorance.
Attacking cats are most dangerous than exotics is non sense, here we are not discussing which exotic animal is causing more damages but the potential danger that some exotic might become invasives because of unresponsible owners (again not you). |  | | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
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