The Dangers Of Keeping Exotic Animals Essay

When thinking about owning a pet, one usually thinks of a dog or a cat. According to Robin Micheli from CNBC, more than 20% of American citizens have decided to switch to exotic pets. Many people are getting bored of the same old house pets and want something new from the wild such as a dik dik, a zorilla and a kinkajou. Sadly, most people don't realize the risks of owning an exotic animal. Keeping exotic animals as pets poses physical and mental problems for the animal and its owner.

Many humans who want to adopt an exotic animal don't take into consideration the needs of the creature to keep them happy and healthy. As stated in “The Dangers of Keeping Exotic Pets,” most exotic pets are confined to small areas, beaten, declawed or have teeth removed as a way to “domesticate” or change the nature of the animal(“Get the Facts”). In general, exotic animals who have claws use them to scratch on hard surfaces as a way to relieve stress.

When these exotic animals are unable to execute their natural behaviors, they find themselves mentally and physically overwhelmed. Going along with that, when animals become mentally stressed or anxious, they will start to self-mutilate or hurt themselves as a way to release that built up stress as reported in “ Here's Why Exotic Animals Belong in the Wild,”(Corrine Henn). Each pet needs a way to relieve themselves of the stress. If that stress is not released, the animal finds a way to extinguish it by self-mutilation. The animal will continue to do this to the point where it bleeds out or ends up with fatal infections. In the long run, this can lead to problems in the future for the animal. Likewise, most humans cannot provide the animal with its proper needs(Here's Why Exotic Animals