The protection of wild animals is governed internationally by the Convention of Washington, which lists all the various protected species under several categories, such as those for which trade is absolutely prohibited in any form, those that can be purchased only by academic institutions or animal protection agencies, and so forth.
因此，只要有合理的法令規範，並不是絕對不准養野生動物，仍是目前被比較多人接受的想法。立機關、清戶口現在國際上對野生動物的保護，訂有「華盛頓公約」。它考量世界上現存野生動物的數量和生存環境，把需要保育的動物一一列出。