Many people find the idea of owning an exotic pet as exciting. But what people dint take into consideration is to understand the animal itself. Owners need to know how to care for this animal and to know what it needs on a daily basis. Although it may seem like a great idea and an exciting thing to do but also know the consequences of what can happen if they are not satisfied. They can be unpredictable; their behavior may change with season. Owning exotic animals can lead to chaos and sometimes even death.
On February 2009 a 200lb ape named Travis attacked Charla Nash. Charla was called by her friend Sandra Herold to help her catch her pet chimpanzee because he had escaped. While Charla finally was able to reach Travis he began to attack her and severed her nose, ears, lips and hands. Sandra called the police and when they arrived they shot 14 year old Travis. Charla was rushed to the hospital and after 20 hours of surgery and more than 30 doctors and nurses they were left her a hideous disfigured face.
The work on her face was a success but when they tried to reattach hands to her the body rejected the new limbs. But Charla never gave up and after two years of wearing a veil to hide her face from the public she finally went into surgery on May 2011 and was able to recover with a face transplant. “I’m beginning to feel my jaw and chin,” Charla told TODAY. “And I can move my mouth and smile. I still feel weak. But little by little I’m getting stronger” (Carroll, Linda 1).
When most people hear of these awful stories they get scared but I don’t think they really think it through so it gets to a point where it stops them from ever owning an exotic pet. Even when owning a cat or dog it seems like such a big responsibility so imagine owning a tiger in a normal household. Taking a tiger on a walk on a leash through the park wont cut it. These animals need to place in their own habitat. Not only will it be bad for the animal to live in your house or in a cage but also for their owners. Animals require a lot of attention and good care.
In the news lately there have been many cases in which many animals turn on their owners. “12 people have been killed by pet pythons since 1980, according to The Humane Society of the U. S. Four of those causes have occurred in the last 3 years. A 2 year old girl was killed a few weeks ago by a pet python. ” (CBS News). There are some cases in which people think that it is such a good reason why we should adopt an exotic animal as a pet. There have been times when their habitats are destroyed and some species have been saved and are in need of a family.
Although they may seem unique and unusual to have one must be very careful. Animals have different emotions and can change their moods easily, this can cause them to turn on their owners and attack them. “In December 2003, a 10 year old boy in North Carolina named James Eller while shoveling, a 400lb Bengal tiger dragged him under a chain-linked fence into his cage, mauling the boy” (Liebman, Matthew). Owning an exotic pet can be a completely different experience and they can be very interesting to interact with.
Some things not many people think about is how owning a pet can affect us medically. They can give us various infections like chlamydia, hepatitis A, rabies, ringworm, tuberculosis, measles, monkey pox etc. When it comes to owning an exotic animal as a pet people must be aware of the consequences. There are very dangerous animals that have been taken in as house pets. This can cause disasters in home and even in the environment. Don’t be fooled by those who many seem like they have such a great life taming or owning an exotic animal.
