10th Grade Research Paper

On February 16, 2009 a 15 year old chimpanzee named Travis mauled its owner’s friend as she was coming for a visit. The police were called when the chimpanzee even went so far as to attack the police which forced them to shoot the animal several times before the animal finally stopped fighting. (Howard) This is just one of many examples of why these animals are not made to be in a domesticated environment. People have been trying to own exotic or wild animals as pets for a very long time, and some of them actually succeed. Whether it is legal or illegal, some people find a way to be a part of owning an exotic pet. But how they get it is not always the biggest problem. Owners have been known to make life threatening mistakes when handling their wild animals. Most of them are just so oblivious to the animal that they own and the capabilities of that animal that they neglect to do all the things necessary to keep themselves safe, the animals safe, and the community around them safe. Veterinarians and animal rights organizations have informed the public on many occasions how dangerous owning an exotic pet is to the owner and the community it resides in. Exotic animals should never be held as pets because it of the high risk of physical harm to the owner or neighboring people, the diseases they spread, and the harm it brings to them as well. To state the obvious, wild animals are feared by so many simply because of their instinct to kill. A family 12 foot long Burmese python got out of its aquarium and strangled a 2 year old girl from Florida. (“Wild Animals Aren’t Pets”) The cages, aquariums, etc. that owners put their exotic animals in usually do not provide much help in keeping these animals contained. Since humans are not supposed to be caring for exotic animals, the equipment they use for them does not always meet their actual needs. Therefore, a situation like the python getting out of where it was confined will happen. Most of these wild animals may appear cute and small when they are newborns but as they get older they clearly grow into bigger and more dangerous animals. The owners of these particular animals most likely do not know how to contain animals of those sizes. “Even when bred in captivity, exotic animals retain all of their natural instincts. They cannot be considered “domesticated” or “tamed.” ("Ten Fast Facts about Captive Exotic Animals") All animals have natural born instincts. A dog usually craves attention from its owner, and wants to be around people. However, a tiger, chimpanzee, bear, python, etc. has the natural born instinct to want to kill and be wild. What is instilled in an animal from the time it is born is not something that goes away. Therefore, the human race cannot try to domesticate these animals without having the consequences. These animals are no strangers to killing and injuring, and as they grow older they become more of who they really are. Obviously, exotic animals are a very clear physical risk to human’s lives. One thing that may go unnoticed when speaking of wild animals as pets is the fact that many diseases can and will be spread when dealing with these animals. There is a lack of considerable knowledge when it comes to wild animals. Every animal can very well carry very terminal and fatal diseases. As the Department of Primary Industries warns, people are exposed to the bacteria, protozoa, fungi, viruses, and parasites that cause zoonosis. (“Notifiable Diseases”) Zoonosis is an infectious disease that is transmitted between an animal to a human and in rare cases a human to an animal. Commonly, when something like zoonosis is inhabited by a human, it is from an animal that is unfamiliar or foreign to their normal lives. Humans that are around exotic animals must always stay aware of the many risks they are at and take the proper precautions. To make things worse, just by being humans we are more susceptible to all the different kinds of diseases these animals can spread. Other diseases such as the tragic rabies epidemic in Nambia, or the terrible outbreak of the Nipah virus infection that happened in Malaysia can attest to the fact that these diseases can really occur and make a big impact. It also shows how fatal these conditions can become to a human. Aside from zoonosis, some diseases may be obtained simply because the animal is living in an environment that is unnatural to them. “Although the discovery of such zoonosis is often related to better diagnostic tools, the leading causes of their emergence are human behavior and modifications to natural habitats.” (Chromel) Diseases are also caused by the impotency of humans to healthily care for them. After the owners of the animals mistreat them because of their lack of knowledge for their exotic animal, sicknesses may appear without even realizing that anything is even wrong. Most wild animals do not show any signs of them being sick which makes it really difficult for their owners to know to seek treatment for them. Most people jump straight to the conclusion that the exotic animals are the ones that hold all the responsibility when things go wrong. What is ignored however is how the humans are harming the animals although it is mostly unintentional. The physical needs of an exotic animal on a daily basis are extremely too much for a human to handle. For instance, many species of monkeys, birds, and wildcats often have to travel several miles a day to be healthy. (ASPCA) Since it is unlikely for a human to do that, the wild animal will fail to live as it is supposed to. Aside from that, humans also have a big incapability to instill their authority over the animal once it is fully grown. Because of this, the owner tends to result to harmful measures. This quote from the ASPCA says “Since the vast majority of people who keep exotic animals cannot meet their needs, the animals may be caged, chained, or even beaten into submission.” (ASPCA) This can cause more problems than one may think. This could make the animal more ferocious and eager to kill. The owners of exotic animals are also harming them because they are very incapable of feeding the animals the correct food which can lead to illness. As ASPCA mentioned in their article, malnutrition, stress, and behavioral disorders are common, and because exotic animals tend to hide their illnesses, most of the time it will just grow worse. ASPCA also states that getting medical care is extremely hard to find since the common vet will not be knowledgeable enough to know what to do with animals they are not familiar with. As if all that was not enough, the environment in which an exotic animal lives in is very important. Certain aspects of a wild animal’s natural habitat are a necessity to their living as they grow. Basically, this means that exotic animals have never been made to be in a domesticated environment. Exotic animals being held as pets should never happen because of the risks of the physical harm that can happen to people, the diseases that may be spread, and the harm that presents itself to the animals. The lives of humans are too important to risk, and the risk it would be taking to own these pets is too high to compromise. It is clearly not okay for anyone to own these wild animals. The human lives living in the community of one of these owners do not deserve to have their life put in danger on a daily basis because of the wrong doings of their neighbor. No one should be susceptible to any diseases because of a foreign animal. Lastly, these animals do not deserve to be mistreated because of ignorance of their owners.

Work Cited: Chromel, Bruno. "Wildlife, Exotic Pets, and Emerging Zoonosis." . N.p., 22-24 March 2006. Web. 8 Apr 2013. "Exotic Animals as Pets." ASPCA. N.p.. Web. 8 Apr 2013 Howard, Bryan. "25 of the Worst Attacks by Exotic Pets." The Daily Green. N.p., 18 Feb 2009. Web. 8 Apr 2013. "Notifiable Diseases." Department of Primary Industries. N.p., 03 Dec 2012. Web. 8 Apr 2013. "Ten Fast Facts about Captive Exotic Animals." Born Free USA. N.p.. Web. 8 Apr 2013. "Wild Animals Aren 't Pets." USA Today. N.p., 21 OCt 2011. Web. 8 Apr 2013.

Cited: Chromel, Bruno. "Wildlife, Exotic Pets, and Emerging Zoonosis." . N.p., 22-24 March 2006. Web. 8 Apr 2013. "Exotic Animals as Pets." ASPCA. N.p.. Web. 8 Apr 2013 Howard, Bryan. "25 of the Worst Attacks by Exotic Pets." The Daily Green. N.p., 18 Feb 2009. Web. 8 Apr 2013. "Notifiable Diseases." Department of Primary Industries. N.p., 03 Dec 2012. Web. 8 Apr 2013. "Ten Fast Facts about Captive Exotic Animals." Born Free USA. N.p.. Web. 8 Apr 2013. "Wild Animals Aren 't Pets." USA Today. N.p., 21 OCt 2011. Web. 8 Apr 2013.