Massive Koi fish, snakes, & chinchillas Highlight Pets Received at Event

25 animals were turned in at an exotic pet surrender event in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, on Saturday. Included in the surrenders were lizards, fish, parakeets, and a trio of adorable chinchillas.

The Exotic Pet Surrender Event was held on August 13th between 10 AM and 1 PM at the Fond du Lac Public Library located at 32 Sheboygan St, Fond du Lac, WI 54935.  Area organizations were on hand accepting fish, invertebrates, reptiles, pet birds, small mammals, and plants — no questions asked.

Scale: Surrendered koi fish is sitting on a cart that is two feet wide.

In some areas, there are no rehoming options for exotic animals such as fish, birds, and reptiles. Some pet owners that are unable to care for their pet may think that releasing the animal is the right thing to do, however, releasing a pet is harmful for the animal and the environment. Pet Surrender events are now being held across Wisconsin help provide an avenue to pet owners to rehome pets without harming the pet or the environment.

There are multiple places that are currently tackling issues from illegally released domestic and exotic animals. The most well known example are the Burmese pythons that have had an enormous impact on the Everglades in Florida. However, multiple cases of released pets causing problems in our waters occur every year including an alligator found in Long Lake in Summer 2022! Released pets can easily become nuisance or invasive species if they start a breeding population.

The Fond du Lac Pet Surrender event brought together a collection of area rehoming partners that provide responsible alternatives to release for exotic pet owners who are no longer able to care for their pets. J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue (JRAAR) hosted the April 9th event with help from several other area organizations including Wisconsin Sugar Glider Sanctuary & Rescue, Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance, Winnebago Waterways, and University of Wisconsin Sea Grant/Water Resources Institutes.

This program is possible due to sponsors, Dubia.com and Festival Foods.

Want to learn more about the Pet Surrender Network? Visit the J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue website at www.jraar.org.

Photo Credit: Chris Acy, John Moyles

Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator covering Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!

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.

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.

Check out the Keepers of the Fox Program at https://fwwa.org/watershed-recovery/lower-fox-recovery/