Lions and Tigers and Bears in the Backyard? Oh My! There are more tigers in the United States in private backyards than there are in the wild. According to the World Wildlife Fund, over 5,000 tigers are held in captivity in the United States, yet only about 3,200 tigers remain in their natural habitat (“More Tigers in American Backyards than in the Wild”). Most people would agree that tigers would not make a good pet, but the exotic pet trade is booming. From popular pets like ball pythons and leopard geckos, to the rare tigers and Bermuda pythons, people all across the United States are obtaining stranger pets. Keeping exotic animals as pets is a practice that should be banned and laws that prohibit their ownership should be strictly enforced in the United States, as it creates a danger for the people who own and are around the exotic animals, the animals are often treated cruelly, and the increase in popularity of exotic pets is contributing to the augmentation of endangered species. Keeping exotic pets is dangerous to the humans who care for and are around them. First, in 2009, a woman in Connecticut was “permanently disfigured by her …show more content…
Recently, the popularity of exotic pets has been putting native and endangered species in jeopardy. Exotic pets create danger for the humans around them, the animals are often put in undesirable habitats, and the popularity of exotic pets is causing more species to become endangered, which are all reasons the practice of keeping exotic animals as pets should be banned in the United States. People who agree with the idea that exotic animals should not be kept as pets can contact their local lawmakers to learn their stance on the issue, and can become involved in larger organizations that also fight against the ownership of exotic pets. Some animals are just meant to wild, and changing their habitat will never take their wild nature out of
The exotic pet trade is a booming industry, raking in millions of dollars every year. Everything from harmless leopard geckos to hyenas can be found in 30 of the 50 states. Of those 30 states, only 21 require permits to own these animals (Webber 2010). Indiana has just recently withdrawn its own requirement for permits, making 10 states that allow any kind of exotics without documentation (Kelly 2015). It is estimated that 15,000 big cats are being kept as pets in the United States alone, with more captive tigers in Texas than there are in India. Approximately 15,000 primates and 7.3 million reptiles are also being kept in the US (Webber 2010). What does all of this mean and, more importantly, what can be done about it?
Throughout the world, wild cats, reptiles and primates live peacefully in their natural habitats. Despite this, every year more and more of these exotic animals are becoming domestic pets. Keeping exotic animals as pets is unsafe and should therefore be made illegal. They pose as a risk of injury, disease and are an invasion the natural environment. Some people believe that keeping a pet does not pose a risk if properly kept and trained. However, these arguments are not corroborated by the information available. Keeping exotic animals as pets is dangerous, and should be made illegal in Canada.
The first point of view from this issue is the side that believes humans, zoos and other facilities should be allowed to keep animals. The places that captivate animals believe that they are doing a favor to the creatures. They believe that they are saving them from being killed by humans. They say that if they would not have taken in these animals they would have died in the wild. They say they’re giving them a fresh new start and a place to live without worry. For example, in this article they state that zoos try and h...
Animals that are brought to the United States and taken to someone’s home are said to have to go through the “exotic pet trade.” These animals are taken from their natural habitat, such as Australia, Brazil, and Africa and are exposed to harsh transport. Some examples of animals that are put in these conditions are parrots. They sometimes have their beaks and legs taped and are stuffed into tubes. Turtles suffer harsh conditions as well. They are trapped with tape inside their shells and shoved into small compartments along with many other turtles. These animals are put in such horrible conditions that many die before arriving at their destinations (“Exotic Animals as Pets”). These animals have to reason to be suffering because if they were left free in their natural habitat as they should be they would not have to
For thousands of years scientist have been performing vivisections on animals to find information on new chemicals, drugs, and vaccines. Vivisection is when scientist perform dissections among living animals mostly for the purpose of educating and retrieving information. Experimenting on animals has become the tool that has helped us comprehend the body functions of an animal and how a disease transforms the bodily functions, but over the years it’s caused animal rights activists to question the usefulness and the sincerity of using animals for this purpose. Although animal research has been helpful in the past, it is morally wrong in the sense that experimenting on animals is not the only way to collect information. There are other alternatives
Thousands of zoos worldwide are visited by citizens yearly to admire and satisfy their curiosity of the beautiful wild animals that mother nature has to offer. Zoos have been around for hundreds of years and have become a known tradition for numerous school field trips and family outings. The ongoing debate between animal rights activists and zoo officials remains, should wild animals be taken from their natural habitats to live in city zoos for education and entertainment purposes?
Seeing maimed animals are not pleasant images. Those images sometimes appear across computer and television screens. The advocacy groups who place these images in the public’s view are trying to jolt people into the realization that abuse exists. For every ten seconds that goes by an animal is getting abused (“Animal… Statistics”). One statistic states that “71% of pet-owning women entering women’s shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims; 32% reported their children had hurt or killed animals” (“Animal… Violence”). Animal cruelty comes in several forms, some of which people do not know. There is animal experimenting, animal abuse, and mistreatment of animals. and through revealing the results from research, one discovers the horrific effects of animal abuse.
The growing issue of the welfare of wild animals has called for immense concerns for multiple reasons. Even so, more now today with the recent animal related incidents that have taken place and publicized in social media and broadcasted
Every pet owner knows there are enormous responsibilities that go along with having a domestic pet. In order to keep ones pets physically healthy they must be feed and given exercise properly and played with on a regular basis. It is also important to protect other people, property, or pets from your own animal. There is another responsibility that not all pet owners think about, however: spaying or neutering, or “fixing.” What does “fixing” your pet mean? Spaying- removing the ovaries and uterus of a female pet (Merriam-Webster, par.1.). Neutering- removing the testicles of your male pet (Merriam-Webster, par. 1.). This surgery solves more problems that pet owners may not be aware of. Due to overpopulation of homeless and animal sheltered
Having exotic animals as pets is immoral and dangerous. They endanger the community, become sick, and their owners abandon them. Each State in the USA has a different law against exotic animals; multiple allow exotic pets, some allow restriction, and few do not permit exotic pets. Even if keeping an exotic animal is illegal, some one will go against the law to have what he or she wants. You may think ‘i can take good care of an animal. It will be better off with me,’ but it won't. Every country should have and exotic animal ban and realize the hurt one is causing to these poor
Leah Thrasher Mrs. Knox English IV March 16, 2014 Animal Rights When a pitbull named Oogy was first adopted, he was practically an unrecognizable dog. He was pure white except for the left side of his face which shone off rose pink scar tissue. Where his left ear should have been stood only a stump the size of a thumb. His mouth was lopsided with stitches coming out of the right end, and he looked more like a burn victim than a dog, yet he had an imperative look of joy about him. Oogy had been used as bait for dog fighting when he was only ten weeks old.
People bring home pets thinking that they will basically take care of themselves. This is not true. ( PETA). People don’t think it counts as abusing an animal, but it does. When owners don 't take their pets out on walks, don 't feed them enough. Even just don 't give the pet enough space and attention, it is considered to cruel towards the animal. The pet can become unhappy in the conditions it is living in. It can cause a dramatic impact on the pet’s health and behavior. Many times pet owners are too busy and fail to realize their pet requires more attention. They never care for their needs and the pet will feel start to feel neglected and could become depressed or aggressive.
Can you imagine keeping your dog in a small fish bowl, or keeping a person in a cage? How do you feel if you see rare animals which you may expect to see in wildlife, but you see them in someone’s backyard instead? These are similar to what people do when they keep exotic animals as their pets. Firstly, exotic pets are rare or unusual animals which are not native to the country, but kept in captivity within human households. These animals are generally considered as a wild species, and are not typically kept as pets. According to Born Free USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated in animal protection, only thirteen states ban the private ownership of exotic animals. Millions of them are still allowed to be privately possessed in the U.S without restriction, which showing how poorly these regulations are enforced. Several government-based organizations have also opposed the individual possession of exotic animals (“The Dangers of Keeping Exotic Pets”). Although the owner can take a good care of their welfare, people should not be allowed to own exotic animals because it causes the animals to suffer, it is dangerous for public safety, and it harms public health.
There has been a long-standing debate surrounding the nature of zoological parks. In recent years, the concern over the health and safety of animals in captivity has grown significantly. This is due, in part, to the rise in attention people have started paying towards the way these animals are treated and held captive within zoological parks. On the news, more cases pop up yearly involving animals that have been abused, neglected, and even killed. Furthermore, animal rights groups have become larger in numbers and more outspoken regarding the problematic existence of zoos. Though despite these facts, there has not been a decline in the amount of people visiting zoos, the economic revenue is as strong as ever, and the establishments are still
In today’s society, 13 there are many pets that are out there looking for a place to eat and a roof that is over their head. There is many people who could be that one person to give that pet what it needs. ASPCA is a place where they shelter many animals that are in need of a place to stay. Most of the animals that stay are there because of people who cannot look after their pets. The animals are left on the street left to defend themselves or when a pet has a litter and the owner does not have the money to afford the animals. The Madison area needs its own ASPCA due to the increase of the pet population and to offer adoption services.