Melissa cares for a variety of exotic animals and has completed a certificate in veterinary assisting and a bachelor's degree in biology. Selling protected wildlife in stores, auctions, or on the Internet is one of the largest sources of criminal earnings, behind only arms smuggling and drug trafficking. Your first 2"arguments" don't really support exotic pet ownership - you're just claiming that "normal" pet owners do bad things, too. However, back to my first argument; Dogs, cats, and other domesticated creatures have been made used to humans and are dependent on us for food and love. If preserving the safety of the public is the ultimate goal, efforts would be better spent addressing large domesticated animals, which are a bigger threat due to how they are traditionally kept. so your telling me owning a chihuahua is just as selfish selfish as purchasing a baby leopard. I've lived with cats and dogs in my youth. Look it up if you don't believe me. In my 5 years as a keeper my exotics have cost me less in food, vet bills and time than my domestics have. Of these states, Idaho has the highest rate of dog ownership at 58.3%, followed by Montana with 51.9% and West Virginia with 51.6%. Melissa A Smith (author) from New York on March 22, 2017: You can't help me notice anything. You don't understand animals if you think tigers just want to kill everything. Just a girl trying to make a difference on March 21, 2017: Unlike most of the people in the comments, I do not support exotic pets. You say their's 5 arguments for exotic pet ownership, yet you're only giving me 1 and then you rehash the same point.. We get it!! Strong and comprehensive laws must be introduced and passed in all the states that currently do not … great article i have a tortoise and it doesn't hurt anyone. however, i do not agree with keeping exotic pets because of how it could change their species characteristics over time. Many people believe that exotic animals have not adapted to being kept as pets in the same way that domesticated species have. I also have snakes, an iguana, and a green aracari. It's not democratic I know that much. Wild Animals Aren’t Pets Editorial by USA TODAY I n many states, anyone with a few hundred dollars and a yen1 for the unusual can own a python, a black bear or a big cat as a “pet.” For $8,000 a baby white tiger can be yours. I'd like to move to North Carolina after college, where there are less laws than there are here in Ohio, and eventually get USDA/AZA registered. And I’m not one of those people who say ‘Chihuahuas bite more than pit bulls!’—failing to realize that a pit bull bite is far more severe than a little dog’s. If you're looking for a something a little "out of ordinary" for a pet, you've come to the right place! The couple told police that the reptile, which they kept inside a laundry bag in a tank pinned closed by a quilt, had escaped 10 times before they found it in the crib with Shaianna, "wrapped around her head and body.". aethelthryth from American Southwest on May 25, 2015: A carefully-stated, thoughtful article. There are lots of examples like that ranging from criminal justice issues, to controversy surrounding freedom of speech, artistic expression, personal lifestyles, etc. Owners sometimes release alligators, as well as other exotic pets such as snakes and certain varieties of aquarium fish, when they prove too big, aggressive or otherwise difficult to handle. what kind of pet are you going to own? Let the authorities handle it and stop thinking all American pet owners need to be punished by having their pets banned due to the actions of criminals. Exotic pet owners and animal rights activist have gone back and forth for years about animal rights. By officialhornetnewspaper on April 13, 2020 • ( Leave a comment) Dominique Selby. I know it is IMPOSSIBLE that you've never seen someone's cat carrying a helpless animal to play with. thank you so much Melissa A Smith!!!!!! NAIA supports the development of clubs and associations devoted to increasing knowledge about … If you have an exotic pet, you are most likely promoting the exotic pet trade. i have noted down all your points for a debate at university. It is very wrong to poach like this, and it should not ever be supported. I agree full heartedly that cheetahs taken from their natural habitat harms the ecosystem, and I will repeat how much I agree with that time and time again, but it is also important to remember that not all exotic animals are endangered. Exotic pets are singled out due to lack of cultural acceptance only. Exotic pets include birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, chinchillas, reptiles and really anything else that is not a cat or dog. And out of those attacks, only 1 out of 147,717 attacks is likely to be fatal. Cats are not tame when they are raised without human influence. Read on for five more pets who went back to their instincts to harm -- or in some cases, kill -- their owners or the owners' friends and family. There is little or no difference between subjecting a domesticated pet or an ‘exotic’ pet to captivity. Many domesticated animals can survive just fine in the wild (some dogs, most cats, goldfish, swine, ect. (On her leash with her name tag). If you manage to get a tiger to not kill you every chance it gets you haven't domesticated it, you've just tamed it. That license had expired by the time that his bear killed his wife. I only have a few exotic reptiles right now, but would definitely like to expand when I'm older and more financially stable. Unpredictable Nature of Exotic Animals. Exotic pet owners of Beijing – in pictures Wang Ke, 30, stands in his breeding farm with a Red striped gargoyle gecko, a pinstripe crested gecko and a mossy New Caledonian gecko. When we got to California, we entered from a less trafficked road. I noticed some things about your argument that are plain untrue and I would like to help you notice this. Other sources of revenue for these pet owners may also come from the supplying of exotic pets for photography and television shoots. Kalaichelvi Panchalingam from PETALING JAYA on May 07, 2014: The ideas are good but when we look at the issue from the point of the animal, things take a different turn. Saying so what to keeping an exotic animal seems narrow minded, because instead of "so what!?" Proponents of the industry tend to be owners or individuals involved in selling the animals. Tigers tame rather well, just as well as any cat, or perhaps better. Vvitta, I also look at the point of view of the animal...what about the animals your pets are slaughtering? but when reading the articles you'd swear you can't take a step wtihout stepping on a sake. The exotic pet trade also damages food chains and ecosystems. My only mistake was not putting 'uninvolved' or specifying the U.S., which I will fix. You have to fundamentally alter an exotic animals nature in order to cohabit with it, which is not the case with a domestic, it wants human companionship on a genetic level. The same things happen in the exotic pet trade, and that is why exotic animals sometimes bite or are otherwise mean. Even … I think my selfishness level does not exceed that of most modern people. What difference does it make how they are obtained ? In 2009, a pet black bear named Teddy killed one of its owners. I agree that exotic animals can make good pets, I keep them too and I am enthusiastic about them however, genets are horrid pets. The exotic pet retail sector is booming across Australia with sales of snakes, "miniature dinosaurs" and other unusual critters on the rise. Invasive populations of mammals originating from the exotic pet trade are very rare and pretty much only exist in Florida. the picture up the page is of a genet. Not only do domesticated animals hurt people, but they kill too. You're better off with ZAA accreditation. Despite the small number of bad scenarios involving exotics, people still hold exotic pet owners, as a whole, 100% responsible for every incident individual owners cause, but dog owners are never blamed for attacks and fatalities caused by other dog owners (this means that there would have to be zero exotic pet-related incidences in order to ease people’s fears, and sometimes even that isn’t enough!). The exotic pet trade itself is a multi-billion dollar industry, second only to drugs and weapons on the black market. The 20th-century is when exotic pets further grew in popularity, and millions started being traded across the globe. We also carry live rodent and insect feeders including crickets, Dubia roaches, mice and worms. There have been more than 1,000 incidents reported involving exotic pets since 1990. The idea of coming home to a tiger or a wolf after work, feedin . 3. You did great. They are a domesticated animal dived from the European polecat. To me this is indefensible. One could also argue that, even if the very best care is provided to an animal, merely purchasing the animal supports the trade, which in turn supports the improper care provided by less-experienced owners. Share Share Tweet Email Comment. I don't think there is anything wrong with keeping cats. all have formed invasive populations in the wild). Dogs, for example, have had 30,000 years of certain breeding to domesticate them. i believe animals should be free but of course there are people who abuse them or poach them or also sell them for money which is not right. I do support reasonable regulations on dangerous exotics, but never full-out bans or ridiculous, impossible-to-meet standards. Leaving alone the subject of inherently dangerous animals like tigers, even harmless exotics like ferrets have been persecuted for the exceptionally rare circumstances where a case emerges with a child injured by one. It does not take 30,000 years to domesticate animals just because dogs have been around for that long. As in, if the member of the public is on the property of the exotic animal voluntarily (or in the case of children, brought there, so the guardian assumes the risk) than it's not a matter of public safety. Exotic Pet Ownership ? So many people are lied to, and you never truly know what that animals history is. However, the success of your exotic pet experience rests with a very important decision ? Then there are skunks, which tend to be considered exotic pets even in states where they are common in the wild, but in my experience they are (when descented) very similar to ferrets, which are fairly normal pets now. The police ended up shooting nearly 50 of the animals in an effort to stop them from terrorizing Thompson's town -- and while this may be the most horrific story of exotic pet ownership we've heard lately, it's certainly not the only one. I'll fight as many bans as possible, and as unrealistic as it sounds, I do not plan to go down at all. Tropical fish, and all the equipment needed to keep them, became affordable enough for many people in the US in the 1940s. Made registration and ownership certificate mandatory for rearing exotic pet dealer humans are intelligent enough to treat each accordingly! “ exotic pet ownership Gone wrong by households ( 36.9 % ) nut, but they to. 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