I never meant to say no one should have primates or big cats, as I agree many people do so in a responsible manner (although there is evidence to support a large portion nationally do not, perhaps due to lax or nonexistent laws governing such things); I was trying to say that there is a big difference between most herps and felids, namely cash necessary for proper upkeep--thus herps are much more realistic for many folks who want so-called exotics. I'm sure many more people keep felids/primates responsibly than any anti-ownership org would ever let you believe (just look at our industry). As long as the animal does not suffer or endanger people, keep on I say. I also beleive there is more expertise (in the herp and bird fields at the very least) than there is in zoos--so zoos are in no way a gold standard; they just provide fancier housing than many private keepers (who could be just as fancy if they had exhibit designers working for them too) But like I said, if there is one thing we should copy from them , its standardization.

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