Owning Exotic Animals as Pets

Many people own exotic animals as pets, but is this a good idea? Some people say yes and others say no. I personally think it’s a bad idea. Exotic animals should be able to live in the wild instead of in a cage. People who own exotic animals say that they are worth more money than normal pets like cats and dogs. Most of the time it is true that exotic animals are worth more but if you don’t know how to care for the animal, it will probably die earlier than it should. People who own large animals like tigers, lions¸ bears and elephants say they are great guard animals. This is a good and bad idea. It’s a good idea because the animal would probably keep people away from your house but if the animal is not trained to guard your house, it could end up hurting you.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/exotic-animals-pets.aspx says “A lion killed several dogs and trapped a child in his room, and a Bengal tiger tore off the arm of a 4-year-old boy.” The author’s purpose is to tell the reader’s to never own an exotic animal. It can be very dangerous. “At least four people have been mauled to death by wolf hybrids” Exotic animals are dangerous and it is very likely if you own one, you will get hurt.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/exotic-animals-and-pets.html gives both sides of the conflict. “Exotic pets are those animals that are rather unusual to have as pets!” This says that exotic animals are rare to have and they’re valuable. This article also says “there are many issues pertaining to the domestication of the exotic animals” This shows that exotic animals are hard to control and it’s hard to get a good relationship with them. I don’t think the author has their own viewpoint since they give both sides of the argument. The author’s purpose for writing this is to give the pros and cons of owning an exotic animal.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101430578 gives only negative examples of owning exotic animals. “A pet chimpanzee named Travis mauled a guest in his owner's home, and police shot and killed him” This chimpanzee could be alive right now if he lived in the wild were other chimpanzees live. He probably went crazy because he was probably kept in a small cage. This author’s purpose for writing this is to inform the reader about the consequences of owning exotic pets.

I believe all of these sources are reliable. Owning exotic and wild animals as pets can be difficult and dangerous but it could also be exciting. If you do buy an exotic animal, make sure you know how to care for it.