Local Organizations Partner to Lend a Hand to Help Exotic Pet Owners
On Saturday, October 28th, 2017, 28 pets were surrendered at the Habitattitude Pet Surrender Event held at the 1000 Islands Environmental Center in Kaukauna, WI! Volunteers from Kingdom Animalia Exotic Animal Rescue, Roseberry Bird Rescue, Steve Keller’s Traveling Snake Show, Madison Area 
Herpetological Society, and the Green Bay Aquarium Society (GBAS), took in 5 turtles, 8 birds, 11 fish, 2 bunnies, and 2 snakes. Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance helped to organize and promote the event and provided assistance onsite the day of the event.
This event provided an avenue of support for parents of exotic pets who wanted to responsibly rehome their animals. The surrendered fish were rehomed through the GBAS fish auction held on October 29th. The other animals will be rehomed by the organizations that took the pets in during the surrender event.
In some areas, there are no rehoming options for animals such as fish, snakes, and turtles. Given limited resources, pet owners unable to care for their pet may think that releasing the animal into the wild is the right thing to do. 
However, there are many exotic pet species that could wreak serious havoc on the environment if they were to become established. Rehoming is a humane alternative to pet release.
The organizations that participated in the event are part of the Habitattitude Rehoming Network of Green Bay and Fox Cities which is an area resource that aims to provide responsible alternatives to release for exotic pet owners who are no longer able to care for their pets. If you have a pet you would like to rehome, contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator of the Winnebago Waterways Program by calling (920) 460-3674 or emailing chris@fwwa.org.
In addition to the local Habitattitude Network, there is a national Habitattitude Campaign that aims to teach people about the responsible alternatives to pet release. To learn more, visit http://www.habitattitude.net/
For more information visit www.WinnebagoWaterways.org or contact Chris Acy, Winnebago Waterways AIS Coordinator, at chris@fwwa.org or (920)460-3674.
Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance program. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.
Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.
This article was written by Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator for the Winnebago Waterways Program.
