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The proposed change in regulations on exotic cats is a welcome and necessary step, but it addresses just one aspect of a much larger problem.

In Summer 2025 alone, three boa constrictors were found loose in B.C. communities — near Comox, on a Tofino beach, and in the yard of a Burnaby home. Another snake was abandoned in a Sooke park along with a domestic rat in September.

These aren’t isolated incidents. Since 2009, there have been nearly 40 documented cases of exotic pet escapes or releases in B.C., the majority involving reptiles.

Flaws in the current regulation

Exotic animal ownership in B.C. is regulated by the Controlled Alien Species Regulation (CASR), introduced in 2009. While it prohibits the most high-risk animals, such as tigers and venomous snakes, it doesn’t address animal welfare or zoonotic disease risk—two growing areas of concern.

The CASR uses a “negative list” approach, banning certain species (currently more than 1,200), but leaving tens of thousands of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals unregulated. This approach makes enforcement difficult and inconsistent, especially when frontline officers must correctly identify species and apply complex rules that vary depending on size and type. For instance, vipers and snakes longer than three metres are prohibited, but boa constrictors and pythons under that length are not.

The proposed exotic cat ban is a much-needed first step, but genuine progress requires further action.

Protecting animals

Exotic animals are not domesticated like cats, dogs, or domesticated rabbits. They retain the same instincts and complex needs as their wild counterparts — needs that are extremely difficult to meet in captivity. Servals feel the instinctual need to hunt, parrots to fly, and lizards to bask, dig, and explore.

Even animals marketed as “beginner-friendly” — like crested geckos, corn snakes, and bearded dragons — are rated as difficult or extreme to care for using the EMODE pet score, a science-based, free online tool developed by biologists and veterinarians. When kept in inadequate conditions, these animals suffer physically and psychologically.

Veterinary care adds to the challenge. Exotic animal vets are in short supply, and there have been reports in recent years of some vets ending these services to meet the growing demand for dog and cat care. At the same time, many specialized exotic animal rescues and sanctuaries, as well as larger animal shelters, are overwhelmed and unable to help.

Social media has fueled a rise in exotic pet ownership, but care advice shared online is inconsistent, often inaccurate, and can even be harmful. The gaps leave many new exotic pet owners unprepared, and when they can’t meet their animals’ needs, animals may be surrendered or abandoned.

Protecting ecosystems

Escaped or released exotic pets can become invasive species, posing serious threats to local biodiversity. In B.C., this has already happened. The red-eared slider turtle, introduced through the pet trade and food markets, is now displacing native turtles in local parks.

Red-eared sliders can grow to be 33 centimetres long and can live for more than 25 years in captivity, leading to overwhelmed and unprepared owners abandoning these animals. With more than 50,000 red-eared sliders estimated to be kept as pets in Canada, the problem is far from over.

Species like the American bullfrog have also been introduced to B.C., altering ecosystems and threatening native species.

Protecting public health and safety

Many exotic animals carry zoonotic diseases — those that can jump from animals to humans. Reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals may appear healthy while still shedding bacteria, such as Salmonella.

Public health agencies warn that young children, seniors, pregnant individuals, and those with weakened immune systems should avoid contact with reptiles and other wild animals. Still, exotic pet ownership continues to rise.

In 2024, two Salmonella outbreaks in Canada (one confirmed and one suspected to be gecko-related) led to 61 confirmed cases, including nine hospitalizations and one death. In some cases, people became ill simply by living in a household with geckos.

Seventy-five per cent of emerging infectious diseases originate from animals, primarily from wildlife. The crowded and stressful conditions in which animals are transported create an ideal environment for the emergence and spread of disease.

The global wildlife trade, including the exotic pet trade, has been linked to several major disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19. It is now clear that keeping and trading wild animals increases the risk of future pandemics.

Exotic pets can also pose direct safety risks. Their wild instincts do not disappear in captivity. Bites, scratches, maulings, and constriction injuries are real dangers — even from animals that may appear docile.

How about “positive lists”?

The negative list approach currently used in B.C. is reactive, inconsistent, and difficult to enforce. Instead, a “positive list” framework flips the script: only species that meet science-based criteria for welfare, public safety, and environmental protection can be kept as pets.

Positive lists are already in use in places like Belgium, the Netherlands, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan. They provide a clear, enforceable approach based on precaution and evidence, not trial and error.

A well-designed positive list would consider factors such as an animal’s ability to thrive in captivity, access to appropriate veterinary care, the risk of zoonotic disease, and its ecological impact. Scientific tools, such as the EMODE pet score, could help determine which animals are suitable.

It’s time for stronger protections

The proposed exotic cat ban is a welcome step, but B.C. must take further action. Our current regulations leave too many animals — and too many people — vulnerable to harm. Expanding protections to all exotic species through a positive list framework would provide clarity, consistency, and compassion.

All animals deserve the opportunity to thrive, not just survive in captivity. And British Columbians deserve regulations that protect public health, ecosystems, and communities.

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