Pros And Cons Of Owning Exotic Animals

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Why Owning Exotic Animals As Pets Is Unethical

By definition, an exotic pet is an animal that does not adjust well to a captive environment. Wild animals living as domesticated pets is actually more common in the United States than you might think. As a matter of fact, more tigers live in U.S. backyards than out in their natural habitats. This is a very prominent issue thanks to illegal animal trafficking and the lack of protective laws in our country. Did you know that only 17 states have banned owning exotic animals? Not only are the living conditions for these poor animals unacceptable, but you are willingly putting yourself in danger when you own exotic animals. Owning exotic animals as pets is unethical and dangerous because of the mortality …show more content…

The Exotic Animal Incidents Database informs that over 75 humans die each year because of exotic animal-related incidents, while over 200 animals die annually for the same reason. A majority of these fatal happenings are caused by provoked animals hurting their owners. Newspapers circulate with new stories almost everyday concerning some sort of animal related disaster. The most terrible exotic animal related incident that ever occurred in the United States took place in October 2011. According to treehugger.com, a man named Terry Thompson of Zanesville, Ohio, released his large hoard of exotic animals he kept at his home prior to killing himself. The local police ended up shooting more than 50 of his animals; including endangered Bengal tigers, baboons, wolves, and more in a last-ditch effort to keep the community safe. This man was obviously overwhelmed with the abundance of high maintenance animals he kept at his home and it led to the loss of his life. The incident of Zanesville, Ohio is one of many tragic incidents that results in death of not only human beings, but innocent animals stripped of their ordinary

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