Exotic Animal Research

States categorized in B* have a semi-ban on exotic animals. This allows their citizens to own some exotic animals but other animals are forbidden. The type of animals that are forbidden depends on the different states. The states included under this category are Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Virginia, and West Virginia. ("Summary of State Laws").

Exotic animals never cease to amaze and capture the hearts of humans. Young or old, everybody is fascinated by them and wants to be in close proximity to such magnificent creatures. Some want to be so close to the wonderful animals that they are interested in owning them. Little do they know owning a wild creature can come with a hidden cost. Animals belong in the wild, and they are not meant to live in a house or be cared for by the average person. A federal law should be passed prohibiting keeping wild or exotic animals as pets because irresponsible owners have difficulties providing their wild pet with the proper care they require because they are too expensive, too large to keep, and they also endanger the public’s safety.

Owners of exotic pets pose a threat to themselves and their community. Exotic animals owned as pets will strengthen as they grow and will eventually hurt their owners without any intention. People of America should not own exotic pets. However, many people argue for the acceptance of being able to own an exotic animal.

Based on the success of the drastic changes the state of Ohio has made in the exotic animal ownership regulations, their platform for change is one to model. Ohio was once a state with no restrictions on exotic animal ownership prior to the 2011 incidence of Terry Thompson, who set free his exotic animal farm of fifty plus animals before committing suicide. This incident pushed the already in question exotic pet ownership regulations into national limelight. Our task force has researched the current restrictions and the process of implementing them along with the undesirable potential side effects of these new laws. With this information, we were prepared to present a solid foundation for the state of Missouri to create a new movement in the exotic pet

The U.S. is a patchwork of varying levels of exotic pet regulation. Some states take the problem seriously and have outright bans on owning dangerous wildlife. Other states, like Florida, ban some dangerous animals but not others. In some states, owning any dangerous wildlife is allowed but requires a permit. And in a handful of states—Ohio, Wisconsin, Nevada, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama—all exotic pet ownership is permitted, completely unrestricted and unregulated. Incidents of escape and intentional release abound, as demonstrated by an excellent documentary called The Elephant In The Living

To begin with, exotic animals should be banned from society because they are unpredictable. People tend to not want exotic animals due to their natural and wild instincts. One may never be able to predict a wild animal’s next move because “a wild animal is never one hundred percent predictable” (Lewis 41-42). This implies that these dangerous pets can make any wrong move at any time because these animal have not been domesticated. Also, one may keep them in a cage due to “exotic animals can injure

There are many exotic animals all over the world that live in the wild. There are many species and some are extinct. Exotic animals are very expensive that require more than what people realize. These animals belong in their natural habitats. It is wrong and cruel for the animals that have to live in captivity when they are meant to live in the wild. Taking exotic animals out of the wild disrupts the natural food chain and negatively affects natural selection.

The leniency in laws that prohibit the sale and purchase of exotic animals does not come without consequences. The Exotic Animal Incidents database compiled by the animal protection agency Born Free USA reports that seventy-five human deaths and over fifteen-hundred non-fatal incidents have occurred over the last twenty-one years (Whyte). As a result of the Zanesville incident, Ohio Governor John R. Kasich issued an executive order requesting state agencies to increase inspections and enforce stricter laws relating to animal health, captivity, and cruelty. The executive order called for The Ohio Department of Health, The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and The Ohio Department of Agriculture to cooperate in the detailed investigation and additional inspection of private exotic animal owners and their facilities where wild animals are being bred, raised, and exploited. Ownership of exotic animals is legal in nine states,

The lethargic lion sits in his puny pen. Stuck in his cage, nowhere to go, nowhere to run, and nowhere to escape. He waits only to be improperly fed by his “owner.” Millions and millions of exotic animals are traded every year. Captured from their wild habitat, bred, and sent to millions of families across the world, only to be neglected and not treated properly. Exotic animals are taken each year to be a family’s new “pet.” Not only do these animals suffer from captivity; they also suffer from abandonment. People take in their new exotic animals for their looks, only to find out the work that comes from these majestic creatures. I believe exotic animals should not be kept as pets. Some may argue that if you have any pets, you are supporting exotic animal ownership, though this is not true. Keeping the animals in captivity causes the animals to die young from fatal illnesses, and exotic animals spread deadly diseases to humans.

Although most exotic animals are territorial and require group interactions, an exotic pet typically is isolated and spends the majority of his/her day in a small enclosure unable to roam and express natural behaviors freely. This causes tension within them that makes them more likely to attack. Continuously, there may be illegal activity being done using the animals. Additionally, the second text states, “As long as animal welfare and public safety laws are followed, the private ownership of all animals

The tension between animal rights and medical/cosmetic research is an extreme issue in today’s society. Every day millions of mice, rats, rabbits, primates, cats, dogs, and other animals are locked inside cold, barren cages in laboratories across the country. They languish in pain, ache with loneliness, and long to roam free and use their minds, but all they can do is sit and wait in fear of the next terrifying, painful procedure that will be performed on them next. Animal Research is a very well known act and has been around for some time. Most of the advancements in the 20th century are because of animals. Many of the products we use each day from medicines to household products are tested generally on animals. Many people around the world think animal research is the right thing to do because of the benefits humans may receive from it. Humans often benefit from successful animal research, although, the pain, the suffering, and the deaths of animals are not worth the possible human benefits. Animals and people are alike in many ways; they feel, think, behave, and experience pain. Animal testing is by far the most heartless act anyone could preform; it is inhumane; there are other alternatives and results are not necessarily reliable.

The bright, alert eyes of a young Sumatran tiger gleam with curiosity, sharp claws and extensive fangs overlooked in light of the cub’s seemingly playful nature. A year later, this former playmate paces in a diminutive cage with all gaiety vanished. For centuries, the exotic animal trade and domestication businesses have been thriving. As one of the largest black-market industries in the United States, the animal trade is a multi-billion dollar enterprise, with thousands of species left suffering in its wake. Although the trade has seen countless opposers over the years, little change has been accomplished. However, an increased amount of activists have been pushing for the termination of the practices of exotic animal trade and domestication

Responsible private ownership of exotic animals should be legal if they are well taken care of. Not to mention, “Terry Thompson did not represent the typical responsible owner. He had a criminal record and animal abuse charges. Equally important, dangers from exotic animals are low. Let People Own Exotic Animals says, “On average in the United States, only 3.25 people per year are killed by captive big cats, snakes, elephants and bears.”

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.

Poison dart frogs are small, rainforest-dwelling, poisonous frogs. The frogs, although deadly in the wild, when kept in captivity they are not poisonous. The reason for this is that there are ants in South America and Hawaiian islands that provide a massive amount of the frogs’ toxicity. The dart frogs, sometimes called poison arrow frogs, are usually 1.5 cm, and are brightly colored to ward off predators. Usually these frogs can lay eggs at 12 months of age, although it varies slightly based on habitat. The eggs take 13 days to hatch. The poison dart frog, depending on the habitat, can live to be 6 to 17 years old.