Everyone growing up has a favorite animal whether its an elephant or a monkey or dog we all shared that in common. Imagine having that animal as a pet roaming around your house. Sounds almost impossible like a dream. Well some people make it come true by adopting these animals.
You may see people on social media owning these unique animals that you would never imagine people owning. On TikTok there’s people owning animals such as monkeys and capybaras and rock hyrax. Even though this looks fun screen the reality of it is much more than what meets the eye. Owning these interesting pets is much more work than it appears. For instance if you adopt an animal other than a dog or cat research needs to be done to see what habitat it needs what medication if needed or types of food. ¨many people dont know how to tale care of them and i would want to educate them on how to¨
People may argue that as long as you chose this animal on your free will and have the right qualifications to own it, it should not be an issue. “Owning a cat or dog is simple compared to something unique. A cat or dog already has its necessities while a unique one can be more complex depending on their needs.” While getting the experience of owning this pet for the first time may be fun and exciting they need to realize these are living things. “I feel that the best part of having a pet is getting to experience how they are different from your common household pet.
Another view people have is that wild animals should stay wild and not be kept inside for entertainment. Doing this can cause danger to you and others around you such as guests coming over to visit. Another view is that exoctic animals dont always make good companions. If someone is searching to find a lifelong companion an exotic animal.
Obviously people will have different opinions on certain topics but with this topic i enjoy seeing what each person has to say. Personally i think its not ideal to own exotic animals just for the fun of it. Sancturaries that adopt animals and raise them into becoming healthy on the other hand is something i agree with on the other hand. While people may have the right paperwork and criteria there should be lots of thought and planning when adopting.
Legality is a huge thing when it comes to this. In the US theres endangered species that are risk to humans. However exotic pet ownership is well regulated in states, counties and cities. For example axolotls are a protected species in mexico and there is international regulations to ensure there is no illegal trading and no captive breeding without permit. ¨i believe it will be a problem in the future because i can see more people with money choosing to pay large amounts of money just because they want to own an unusual pet despite it not being the best choice for the animal.¨ Health should also be a concern when it comes to this topic. Animals can carry all sorts of diseases for all we know these can spread by biting scratching or venom.
Some of these pets need specific environment needs that most households cant provide. Realsing them into the wild could also be a huge deal. Which could lead to create catastrophic
impacts to the native environment. For example in an article i found in 1977 3,500 racoons were legally trapped in florida and shipped to private hunting clubs in virginia where they were later released. Which resulted them bringing nothern racoon rabies into an area where rabies did not exist. This catastrophe resulted in the formation of the National Rabies management program. Also happens to be the largest and coordinated effort to control zootanic diseases from spreading in wildlife populations this program costs about $28 million to run every year. Programs like these help animals in living a healthy life and protection in programs.