Nick Musick

Professor Sarah Hughes

English 1102-071
11 May 2016
The Mediation of Exotic Pets
For years exotic pets have had a strange place in society. In the past it was the rich who
collected strange and beautiful creatures from around the world. Exotic pets were used as a way
to portray that you had wealth and power and you weren't afraid to show it. It wasnt until the
18th century did the first model of modern Zoos appeared. (Zoo National Geographic Society)
The first Zoo however was built in 1793 in Paris, France, and it was more of a museum of
living animals compared to its modern counterparts.(Zoo National Geographic Society) This
idea was the beginning steps towards the creation of zoos. Flash forward to present day, and now
anyone with a credit card and the internet can buy whatever animal they want, even if its against
their state's regulations. Some say that exotic pets should be banned for fear of safety risks to the
owner and those around him/her. While others argue that the animals are harmless and its all
about how you raise them. This is where the discussion begins - Should exotic animals be
allowed in the US, and if so what laws need to be created in order to insure maximum safety for
the owner and nearby residences?
Exotic animals shouldnt be allowed to be kept as pets. They create a very large risk that
many people would rather not deal with. Many exotic animals at this point in time are usually
wild caught and have no business being around humans. There have been countless stories where
the family pet has killed its owner. Whether its a tiger mauling a kid while hes trying to shovel
snow or a pet python that escaped its cage only to kill an infant sleeping in its crib located

down the hallway from where the snake was located.(Leibman Detailed Discussion of Exotic
Pet Laws) Countless stories that all end the same way, and all of them could have been avoided
if they just hadnt bought the exotic animal in the first place. However, any experienced owner of
an exotic pet can tell you that many of those stories were because the owner was severely
inexperienced and had no business owning an animal that could be so potentially harmful.
Should someone want to own an exotic animal it should be mandatory to have hours of training
to make sure that they will have the knowledge necessary to control an exotic animal. If an
owner is experienced enough on how to handle an exotic animal wouldnt that mean there would
be less of a threat to safety to the owner and those around him/her?
Exotic animals should be allowed to be kept as pets. If you ask an exotic pet owner why
they would own such a strange and possibly dangerous animal instead of something like a cat or
a dog many will reply because they like to be unique. Many exotic pet owners like exotic pets
because they are not normal pets. When you think of a pet most people will think of a cat or a
dog, but to be the guy/girl who is known for owning a pet wolf or a monkey would be something
special and unique. This feeling of uniqueness is why many people purchase exotic animals, it
makes them stand out in a crowd of the cliche pet world. Why buy a normal old dog when you
can be the proud owner of a wolf? Exotic pets are also just like any other pet. They help fill a
void in a family. A study conducted by psychologists from Miami University and Saint Louis
University tested and proved that owning and caring for a pet will actually improve your state of
mind and increase your mental health.(Kim Mills The Truth About Cats and Dogs: Pets Are
Good for Mental Health of Everyday People)
Pets become your family, and to some its all they have. A woman name Leslie-Ann Rush
understands this idea all too well. Rush owns a wide variety of exotic animals such as gypsy

horses, muntjac deer, a potbellied pig, a kinkajou, three kangaroos, and four lemurs. When asked
why she owns so many she has replied They're my family. They need me. I can't explain to you
what that feels like. I wake up every morning and come out here, and all my animals come
rushing up to greet me. I feel loved, and that feels great. All my life, people have let me down.
My animals never have. ( Lauren Slater Wild Obsession) Its ideas like Rushs that lead
people to buy pets. In the end pets are family no matter how big or small they may be. However
when you compare an exotic pet to an ordinary pet that is literally comparing a house cat to a
lion or a wolf to a dog. If you ask an exotic pet owner when they got their pet most of them
might say when it was just a baby. Wild animals mature differently than domesticated animals. If
you were to raise a kitten and a lion cub at the same time you would notice that once the kitten
matures into a cat it might still act the same, but if you were to raise the lion cub to maturity you
would notice a dramatic change from cub to lion. Thats because the lions natural instinct has
kicked in, transforming it into a killing machine. Lets just stop for a second and imagine this
situation. A family decides that its time to by a pet, but instead of buying a cat or a dog they
think about being creative and buy a python instead. A couple of months past and the little baby
python is no longer a little baby anymore. In fact it has started to out grow its cage and has
started to develop quite an appetite. Now pressured to rid themselves of their precious pet the
family looks for suitable rescue clinics only to find they have all been filled with other rescues.
That leaves the family with only one viable option. Let the snake go in the woods.
Exotic pets are also one of the biggest culprits when it comes to invasive species. Right
now Florida is facing a huge python infestation because of the careless mistreatment of exotic
pets. These pythons are threatening many of the already endangered wildlife found in the
Everglades national park and in 2010 state officials claimed that around 1300 to 2000 snakes

where captured and removed from the park, and still there might be thousands left in the park.
(Weeks Invasive Species) Escaped pythons arent just the only problem there are also multiple
threats invading our local waterways. The two that should be worth noting are the asian carp and
the northern snakehead. The asian carp was brought to the US for farming purposes.
Unfortunately some escaped one farm during a flood, and they invaded the Mississippi river.
They are currently being hunted down due to the large amount of damage they cause when they
jump from the water. Another species of fish that was imported was the snakehead. The
snakehead is a highly intelligent predatory fish that was kept as a pet due to its vicious hunting
abilities. The snakehead also has the ability to breath out of water and travel on dry land meaning
this fish is highly mobile and can infest any available waterways. It was due to the irresponsible
ownership that this fish is now infesting many lakes and rivers found in the US. Of course the
key word there is irresponsible. It is very much possible to own one of the animals listed above
without it escaping and damaging the environment. All a person has to do is educate themselves
before they go out and buy an exotic pet. There are plenty of websites and experts a person can
ask before purchasing such a difficult pet.
So, should exotic animals be allowed in the US? On one side exotic animals can be a
huge responsibility and if mistreated can be lethal at times. Some states have already created
laws about the ownership of certain exotic animals, most of which either require a license or
permit, or some states have just banned a specific list of animals altogether. On the other side
exotic animals can be just as great or even better than owning a standard pet. Exotic pets give the
owner a feeling of uniqueness. This feeling in the past lead many rich families to open their own
Zoo and if it wasnt for them the idea of Zoos and Aquariums might have been drastically
different. If the owner is experienced enough there shouldnt be much of a reason for them not to

own an exotic animal. Which leads us to our final conclusion. Exotic animals should be allowed
in the US only if the owner is capable of passing tests and work through many hours of training
to make sure they are experienced enough. Also the exotic animals themselves should be captive
breed and not captured wild as to allow the animal as much human interaction as possible.
Individual states should still keep or maybe improve on current laws to allow for maximum
public safety. Neighboring residences should be notified of the animal being raised and the exact
location of the animal's enclosure. Any unlicensed owner found with an exotic animal should be
fined and the animal confiscated. The fine itself should be determined both by the risk the animal
posed and what each state sets as a minimum fine.

Works cited
Peer Reviewed Sources

Weeks, Jennifer. "College of DuPage Library." Invasive Species. CQ Researcher, 17 Feb. 2012.
Web. 12 May 2016.
http://library.cqpress.com.cod.idm.oclc.org/cqresearcher/document.php?
id=cqresrre2012021700&type=hitlist&num=1

Matyus, Allison, and Daily Southtown. "Bringing Exotic Pets Home Means Extra Work."
Chicago Tribune: 7. Jul 16 2015. ProQuest. Web. 12 May 2016 .
http://search.proquest.com.cod.idm.oclc.org/chicagotribune/docview/1696634943/2F3D32413F6
24AACPQ/7?accountid=10202

Rowley, Barbara. "Born caged." Sierra Jan.-Feb. 1992: 14. Environmental Studies and Policy.
Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
URL

https://cod.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE
%7CA11720043&v=2.1&u=cod_lrc&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w&asid=8d742bbea5edc579b930eb70
eb7f4bc0

Slater, Lauren. "Wild obsession: the perilous attraction of owning exotic pets." National
Geographic Apr. 2014: 96+. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
URL
https://cod.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE
%7CA366617877&v=2.1&u=cod_lrc&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w&asid=d46f1ca10bc92df0395e20bf
fc9e5349

Web Sites

"Illinois State Laws Governing Private Possession of Exotic Animals." State Laws Governing
Private Possession of Exotic Animals. Born Free USA, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
http://www.bornfreeusa.org/b4a2_exotic_animals_state.php?s=il

Liebman, Matther. "Full Title Name: Detailed Discussion of Exotic Pet Laws."Detailed
Discussion of Exotic Pet Laws. Michigan State University College of Law, 2014. Web. 12 May
2016.
https://www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-exotic-pet-laws

"Zoo." Zoo. National Geographic Society, 22 July 2011. Web. 12 May 2016.
http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/zoo/

Mills, Kim I. "The Truth About Cats and Dogs: Pets Are Good for Mental Health of Everyday
People." American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association, 11 July
2011. Web. 11 May 2016.
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2011/07/cats-dogs.aspx