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Millions of exotic pets and little disease screening. Is this a disaster in the making?

By Margaret Ebrahim and John Solomon
Associated Press — Nov. 27, 2006

Monday, November 27, 2006

WASHINGTON — Exotic animals captured in the wild are streaming into the U.S. by the millions with little or no screening for disease, leaving Americans vulnerable to a virulent outbreak that could rival a terrorist act. Demand for such wildlife is booming as parents try to get their kids the latest pets fancied by Hollywood stars and zoos and research scientists seek to fill their cages. More than 650 million critters — from kangaroos and kinkajous to iguanas and tropical fish  ...

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