Argumentative Essay: The Safety Of Exotic Animals

People who keep exotic animals as pets do not realize the danger they are putting on the animals or themselves. There have been around 2,000 incidents involving captive exotic pets that have been reported and 75 reported deaths between the years of 1990

It can cost up to thousands of dollars to own an exotic pet in order to meet all of the animals needs. Also, depending on the animal, if you own an exotic animal you have to dedicate all of your time to your pet. For example, you may not be able to go on vacation or stay somewhere for a couple of days because you can not leave your pet alone and you probably will not be able to find a pet sitter because your pet is not a normal household pet. You have to make sure you are meeting all of the animals needs because if you are going to own an animal like this you are going to have to be a lot more precise on the care taking of it than you would for a normal household pet such as a cat or a dog. For example, the feeding, the temperature you keep them at, the habitat you give them to live in all has to be very precise in order to keep the pet alive and healthy. You also have to make sure the animal is not just healthy and alive, but you also have to keep the animal happy. Most people do not realize all of this when they go out and get an exotic animal so the animal ends up getting sick or they just live a very unhappy

Owning exotic animals is both cruel to the animal its self and dangerous to those who care for the animals. Keeping exotic animals as pets is cruel. In the article Do You Really Want a Baby Tiger? by Mia Lewis the author states “The end result is that far too many of these exotic animals spend almost their entire lives in the ‘prison’ of a small cage.” Obviously, exotic animals are meant to be in environments that promote their natural behavior; forcing these animals to be locked up in a small pen

In most places owning a dog or cat is second nature, but what about a tiger, bear or maybe python? Exotic pet ownership is far from having a clear right or wrong answer but it is in need of a ban for both the protection of animal and owner.For exotic pet owners, owning a wild beast insures a sense of power and uniqueness. It is also their way of contributing to the conservation of a species by having a “backup population” once human population growth and habitat destruction has resulted in extinction (Slater 113). But in reality the ownership of wild animals as pets only helps to damage already fragile ecosystems, both the one from which they came from and the new one in which they find themselves. Animals in captivity are also stripped of a natural life in the wild, free of confinement and unsuitable care. Finally, the risk to humans is very large, injuries inflicted from exotic pets are dangerous and possibly deadly. Bans vary from state to state, ranging from no ban to partial ban to complete ban, but even in states with full bans, exotic pet ownership still occurs. Private ownership of an exotic animal as a pet should be banned in the US, due to disruptions in ecosystems, the dangers that wild animals are exposed too, and the risks to the owners of these pets.

While domesticated pets like dogs and cats make good pets many people want to own exotic animals that belong in the wild. These animals range from tigers to pythons, but should not be owned as they need special care most people cannot provide. Not only this, but exotic animals release is harmful for everyone, the exotic animal, humans, and native animals. Lastly, many exotic animals carry diseases that are harmless to them, but fatal to humans. Exotic “pets” are harmful for everyone, not just the pet. This is why people should not be able to own exotic pets.

Every child has asked their parents for a pet animal. The thing is though, is what type of animal they asked for. Such as a dog or cat and even the occasional hippopotamus for Christmas, right? Lots of people buy exotic animals not knowing how much work it really takes to take care of them. For example, many people have bought pythons and when they get to a size where they can’t keep care of them they let them go into the wild. Exotic animals are very costly and time consuming, they grow up and get bigger and all in all they are very dangerous.

Animals in captivity should be allowed because they can get healthy. The first reason they get healthy is there are rehabilitation programs. According to The Current, “Rehabilitation programs take ill or injured animals and nurse them to health so that they may be reintroduced back to the wild” ( Should Animals Be Kept In Captivity n. pag.). Rehabilitators learn to recognize and treat many kinds of medical and surgical problems (Duke et al. 97). Wildlife rehabilitation saves lives and returns many animals

Firstly, animals in captivity show distraught behavior and don’t have the same abilities as those in the wild. For example, in the article The Loneliest Elephant written by Tracy Tullis, it states, “With limited space and and no infants to care for, captive elephants can become catatonically bored. A great majority of elephants in American zoos -- as much as 80 percent according to a 2013 study by the Honolulu Zoo -- develop disturbing neurotic behaviors, such as repetitive swaying and head bobbing.” Furthermore, it is clear that some animals in zoos behave differently, in a negative manner, in zoos than in their natural habitat (Tullis, 3). Also, a wildlife behavioral biologist Toni Frohof talks about Happy, an elephant kept in isolation at the Bronx Zoo. His words in The Loneliest Elephant was, “She exhibits self-awareness, yet one of the most important aspects of her psychological and physical life, the ability to be around other elephants, she’s been deprived of.” This shows, elephants who are caged in seclusion don’t feel the same as other elephants who get to be around each other 24/7; Happy is forced to be alone for the rest of her life (Tullis, 3). Concludingly, elephants and other animals can form mental and physical issues while caged or isolated.

How many people think it is okay to have an exotic animal as a pet? People do not care about the responsibilities that come with owning an exotic pet when they get a wild animal. There are many positives and negatives regarding owning exotic pets, but the negatives outweigh the positives greatly. Keeping these animals in captivity is not only harmful to others but harmful to the animal. When treated as pets these animals grow into adults and act aggressively to others around them, spread diseases, and enclosures cost a great amount and have to be created by professionals the majority of the time.

Exotic animals kept as house pets are a hazard to the pet owners and any other people around the

Exotic animals as pets are a very popular thing in the U.S. right now. To get one you need to know a few things such as: The laws, permits, its a criminal business so be careful who you get the animal from, they can be very expensive, they are a commitment, and you need to research that animal to make sure you know the risks.The U.S. is one of the main destinations for exotic and endangered wild animals (Inside The Exotic Animal Trade). As of 2013 around 19.4 million U.S. households had an exotic animal as a pet (Micheli, Robin). There are laws and restrictions to owning an exotic animal (Exotic Animal Laws by State). If you are considering owning one you need to check with your state, city, and county (Micheli, Robin).

Exotic animals should not be allowed in our homes as pets. They are too dangerous and could harm another animal we may have or may harm us! So, animals such as pythons and tigers should not be in our homes. If someone got a exotic animal, would they want to keep it forever? I wouldn’t because of the damage and harm they can do, and it would take a long time to tame them if somebody just went out and brought one home from the pet store.

First of all not many accidents happen from exotic animals. Only 3.25 people die to exotic animals animals a year when about 125 people die of car accidents a year. Also if the exotic animal is caged and welfare has been taken care of why not let people have them.

And this life-changing decision is not made by the animals themselves. This means that even if the animals are unwilling to make this trade, they have no chance to escape but to accept their fates. Therefore it is convincingly to say that this act is robbing animals of their dignity and liberty, which can hardly be acceptable by nowadays moral standard. [557 words, excluding in-text citations] References Stroud, P. (2007) Defining issues of space in zoos. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 2, 219-222. Pitsko, L. E. (2003). Wild tigers in captivity: A study of the effects of the captive environment on tiger behavior (Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University). Tait, P., & Farrell, R. (2010). Protests and circus geographies: exotic animals with Edgley's in Australia. Journal of Australian Studies, 34(2), 225-239. Heidenreich, B. (2012) An introduction to the application of science-based training technology. Veterinary Clinics: Exotic Animal Practice, 15, 371-385. Föllmi, J., Steiger, A., Walzer, C., Robert, N., Geissbühler, U., Doherr, M. G., & Wenker, C. (2007). A scoring

Exotic animals should be banned from being purchased, hunted, and or traded from their natural habitat. People can look at an exotic animal for a couple minutes, but captivity affects their whole life. Exotic animals caged in non-natural habitats can experience many physical, and mental issues.