Wild animals: not good pets

So we've all heard about the problems Houston's shelters have with getting animals adopted — but imagine what happens when the SPCA ends up with 11 bears, two tigers and a macaw. (If you guessed that they're having trouble getting the wild animals adopted, you're right.)

The animals were confiscated April 20 from a Gonzales County ranch because their owner, a private citizen, was accused of failing to follow state laws covering the keeping of wild animals. The animals were kept in a poultry barn, in cages barely big enough for them to stand and without water bowls. "It's probably one of those things where [the owner] got in over his head," SPCA spokeswoman Heidi Brasher said. And that's what worries people about private ownership of wild animals: Many times, average Joes will pick up such animals when they're little and cute, and by the time they get grown-up and dangerous, people can't handle them. And that often lands the animals in local shelters, which then have to figure out what to do with them.

The HSPCA is trying to place the Gonzales County animals in zoos and wildlife shelters. So far, it's found homes for two black bears and a tiger; two other bears and the other tiger are temporarily living off-exhibit in the Houston Zoo. The problem is that many zoos and sanctuaries are already full — but officials say they won't put the animals back in private hands. "People like to acquire something unique or different. Unfortunately, the animals end up paying the price for that whim," HSPCA President Patricia Mercer said. "Texas is really a hotbed for this sort of thing. They are easy to come by. There is no reason why an individual should own these animals."