Do not put exotic pets on this year’s Christmas lists, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals urged South Africans on Monday. Spokesman Alistair Sinclair said many such “enticing” gifts ended up orphaned six months later.

“The implications involved in keeping exotic animals as pets are great,” said Sinclair. He said many people bought the animals on impulse and did not understand their feeding and housing needs. It could also be expensive to keep them.

The SPCA had found that some people were even keeping social animals, such as meerkats and marmoset monkeys, as pets.

“They forget that these animals require a social network among same species to ensure normal and non-aggressive behaviour,” said Sinclair.

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