Factors Influencing the Release of Invasive Pets

Science Daily recently published an article on a study that aimed to identify biological and economic factors that influence the release exotic pets. The study, conducted at Rutgers University-New Brunswick by ecologists Julie Lockwood and Oliver Stringham, found that pets that were both prevalent in the pet trade and that were large-bodied or long-lived had the highest probability of being released (Stringham & Lockwood, 2018).

These findings could help provide guidance for educational programs and awareness around the responsibility of owning exotic pets, specifically reptiles and amphibians, and the importance of not releasing them into the wild. To learn more about why you should never release pets into the wild, visit the OISC Don’t Let it Loose webpage.

To read the full article, published by Science Daily on August 22, 2018, click here.

Citations

Oliver C. Stringham, Julie L. Lockwood. Pet problems: Biological and economic factors that influence the release of alien reptiles and amphibians by pet owners. Journal of Applied Ecology, 2018; DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13237