NEENAH, WI- (WISS & WGBW) – Exotic pets aren’t always welcome in shelters, not because they are bad, but because many shelters don’t have the experience to care for them. So then, what happens when the owner of the finned, feathered, and fanged has a pet they can no longer care for? Unfortunately, people sometimes release these pets into the wild, which is dangerous for the pets and the ecosystem.

J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue (JRAAR) in Neenah works to provide people a place to rehome exotic pets they can no longer care for without worry or questions. John Moyles is the founder, director, and president of JRAAR.

“We started out focusing just on fish because we kind of found out that there’s no ‘pound’ for fish. If you have a fish that you can’t take care of anymore, what do you do with it? You can’t go to the humane society. There are no rescues around that really take them. So we found that people were just like letting them go into the river.” Moyles said, “Now since we have our rescue facility, we’ve branched out to birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, that sort of thing.”

At a November rehoming event at Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve, JRAAR took in thirteen surrendered animals, including finches, frogs, turtles, and tortoises.

A variety of exotic pets were surrendered to JRAAR at a recent event in Suamico. Photos: Courtesy of JRAAR

A variety of exotic pets were surrendered to JRAAR at a recent event in Suamico. Photos: Courtesy of JRAAR

JRAAR works with area partners like the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance, Winnebago Waterways, and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant/Water Resources Institutes, underscoring the importance of responsible pet ownership and avoiding harmful releases of exotic species into the wild. Such releases can devastate local ecosystems. Even something as innocuous as a goldfish could cause problems.

“You get a goldfish at the carnival. You don’t know what to do with it. And then if it weren’t for us, you wouldn’t really have a place to go with that goldfish,” Moyles said. “You might think that dumping it into the lake or a river might be a good option. But those animals can actually survive and thrive in our native waters. Then they will out-compete native animals by becoming an invasive species.”

A few of the goldfish in the care of J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue in Neenah. Photo: Lisa M. Hale/Civic Media

Additionally, releasing into the wild is dangerous for the animals involved.

“Most of the animals you find in a pet store are going to be tropical animals,” Moyles explained. “And most of them would not survive our Wisconsin winters. They wouldn’t last very long. Even if they could survive the summer, they would quickly die in the winter.”

Some of the pets rescued by JRAAR become education ambassadors. Photo: Lisa M. Hale/Civic Media

Moyles said that JRAAR will also help reunite lost exotic pets with their owners. Such was the case in October when an iguana pushed open a window screen and went on a walkabout near Oshkosh West High.

“We got a call from the Oshkosh Police Department, about an iguana at large, and we went down there. By the time we got there, a good Samaritan had already captured it and put it into a carrier. So we switched it out, and I posted it on a lost pets website, posted it on our Facebook page. Within hours we got a response that we found the owner,” Moyles said

He added that happy endings like that don’t always happen.

Pets like bearded dragons are unsuitable for Wisconsin weather and need special care that most humane societies can not offer. Photo: Lisa M. Hale/Civic Media

“A lot of times when people have exotic animals, they don’t think they have a resource. If you lose a dog or a cat, ‘Oh, I should call the Humane Society. I should call the Community Service Officer. I should call Animal Control. Just let them know if they find it, they should contact me.’ People generally don’t think of that when they lose an exotic animal like a lizard or a snake. They just think that no one can help them, but there are a lot of resources for people that are missing pets,” he said.

JRAAR’s efforts and partnerships helped ensure a positive outcome, emphasizing the value of rehoming options for exotic pets like birds, reptiles, and fish, which can be difficult to rehome through traditional shelters.

Birds, lizards, tarantulas, and fish are some of the animals that JRAAR cares for. Photo: Lisa M. Hale/Civic Media

If you wish to surrender an exotic or aquatic animal, Moyles said his organization does about 29 exotic surrender events across Wisconsin every year. You can also contact them directly through the website.

“We don’t have a surrender fee. We feel like that (surrendering a pet) is already a really hard choice that you have to make, and we don’t want to add any barriers to that,” Moyles said. “So, all you have to do is go to our website, fill out the form, and make an appointment to drop it off.”

Some of the surrendered pets become animal ambassadors for education purposes, visiting libraries and schools throughout the state. But Moyles said most of them are put up for adoption to find a new home. There are anywhere between 200 up to 1000 animals available for adoption at any given time. They count each fish, bird, or invertebrate as an individual.

Releasing animals in the wild is harmful for the animals and for the Wisconsin eco-system. Photo: Lisa M. Hale/ Civic Media

“Just like any other humane society or rescue, there’s an application process. We have our application on our website. You fill that out. We go over it and ask some follow-up questions, make sure you’ve got everything that you need, and then you’re sent a link to make an appointment to pick it up,” said Moyles. “That way our volunteer staff knows that you’re pre-approved. Also, since we’re all volunteers, when our chores are done and we don’t have any appointments, we just go home. So if you show up, we might not be here!”

Moyles said he has seen many animals come and go in his 30 years of working with exotic animals. He said JRAAR rescues an average of 253 animals every month. The organization took in over 1900 animals in 2023 and looks to exceed that number in 2024.

This weekend, JRAAR is in Hudson for an Exotic Pet Surrender Event at the Carpenter St. Croix Valley Natures Center: Wisconsin Campus. These events allow people to surrender exotic pets they can no longer care for in a safe, judgment-free environment.

Moyles added that while they will take just about any exotic animal, they don’t take dogs, cats, rabbits, or guinea pigs because humane societies and other shelters can take care of those types of pets. JRAAR also will not take farm animals. But they will take fish, frogs, lizards, turtles, invertebrates like isopods and tarantulas, and birds.

“ If you have an animal that you can’t take care of anymore, contact us,” Moyles said. “Even if we can’t directly help you, we can find someone who will. Even if you have a cat or a dog, we can point you in the right direction of somebody who can help.” MOYLES G …can help 12

Upcoming events include an Exotic Pet Surrender event at Shawano Community High School on January 11 and an exotic pet adoption event at Petco in Oshkosh on January 18th. For information on upcoming events, see JRAAR’s Facebook page and website.

J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue (JRAAR) is Wisconsin’s largest 501(c)(3) exotic animal rescue, dedicated to the rehoming of exotic animals and conservation education. JRAAR is USDA-licensed and works closely with vets to keep exotic pets healthy and happy while they wait for new owners.

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