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Exotic Animals Research Paper

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While many people think that animals are safe at zoos and privately owned farms it's far from the truth. In 2011, nearly 50 animals died when their owner left open their cages before he shot himself. Eighteen tigers, seventeen African lions, six black bears, two grizzly bears, two wolves, and a baboon were killed by police officers who deemed the animals to be a danger to the community (Wild at Home). Instances like these show that private owners don’t put their animals’ well-being first. Exotic animals like chimpanzees and tigers shouldn’t be kept as pets because many of them suffer due to the substandard care that is given to them by private owners, many of them pose a threat not only to their owners but to their community, and many of them carry multiple diseases that are transmittable to humans. Many of the owners try to “domesticate” the animals by confining them in small enclosures, chaining them, beating them, and even by performing mutilations like tooth pulling. In one case, six African exotic cats had been living in a dark, secluded basement for more than ten years. All of them had been declawed, one had a permanently damaged ear, and they were all excessively overweight due to them not getting …show more content…

The Journal of Internal Medicine has determined that 50 million people worldwide have been infected with zoonotic diseases from 2000 to 2006 and that about 78,000 of those people have died (Disease Threat From Exotic Pets). A profuse number of reptiles carry salmonella, and since they usually don’t exhibit any symptoms, there is no easy way of knowing which reptile is infected. “[About] 80% to 90% of all macaque monkeys are infected with Herpes B-virus or Simian B, a virus that is harmless to monkeys, but often fatal in humans” (Born free USA). The Ebola virus, monkeypox, and other fatal illnesses have also been known to be spread by

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