Young Writers Society

“The exotic pet trade is the trade of live animals, not domesticated and are not typically native to developing countries” (Kennedy, 2014-2015). “Exotic ownership is not a relatively new phenomenon” (Miller, 2003). A baby animal may be all cute, but once they grow up they are mean and the safety of the owner is at risk. The first effect is the suffering animals face during capture and transportation from one place to the next. The second effect is animals suffer from poor treatment. The third effect is the threat of disease on the human population. For all exotic pets they suffer from being captured and then transported.

The first effect is how the animals suffer during being captured and being transported from one place to the next. “For every animal the journey begins from Australia, Africa or from the jungles of Brazil” (“Inside the Exotic Pet Trade”, n.d.). When many animals are captured they usually change hands and suffer grueling transport conditions. For example, “parrots might have their beaks and feet taped and be stuffed into plastics tubes that can be easily hidden in luggage when going through airport security” (“Inside the Exotic Pet Trade”, n.d.). These animals can suffer immensely at the hands of dealers who sell them to pet shops and to zoos throughout the world. Exotic animals do not just suffer from transportation and from being captured. They can also suffer from poor treatment.

The second effect is the poor treatment animals receive. Tony the tiger is one example of how many animals are enduring poor treatment from their owners. Tony the tiger has endured fourteen years of confinement at a Tiger Truck Stop in Grand Tete, Louisiana. There Tony is the roadside attraction for this truck stop, he is subjected to taunts, stares and anything else one can imagine. While there Tony is exposed to exhaust fumes and loud traffic noises. Though in 2006 Louisiana prohibited the sale and ownership of big cats, Tony the Tiger’s owner is still permitted to keep him. As long as the owner, Michael Sandlin, files for a permit each year that he still wants Tony the Tiger (“Keeping Tiger’s in Captivity: An Ideal Conservation Solution or a Sham?”, n.d.). Like animals, humans can be exposed to life threatening diseases.

The last effect is the life threatening diseases exotic animals can bring to humans. Many of the animals carry around diseases that can easily kill humans. According to Born Free USA, “eighty to ninety percent of all macaque monkeys are infected with Herpes B-virus or Simian B, a virus that is harmless to monkeys but often fatal in humans” (“Dangers of Keeping Exotic “Pets””, n.d.). “In 1975, an important increase of salmonellosis in humans related to turtles was the cause for banning the sale of turtles with carapace length of four inches or less in the USA” (Hidalgo, Diaz, Perez, de Frutos-Escobar and Herrero, 2008). “Parrots and other exotic birds can transfer potentially deadly pathogens such as psittacosis, salmonella, and even avian tuberculosis to humans” (“Inside the Exotic Pet Trade”, n.d.). “Mumps, tuberculosis, and hepatitis are only a few of the diseases that can be transferred from humans to other animals and then back to humans” (“Overview of Zoonoses”,2006). When some people think of the exotic pet trade, they try and think of the positives, but there is nothing positive about it.

According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), “the exotic pet trade is a multi-billion dollar industry, second only to drugs and weapons on the black market” (“Facts about the Exotic Pet Trade”, n.d.). “Millions of animals are forced into the exotic pet trade every year for the purpose of becoming someone's pet or for entertaining purposes in a circus or for a roadside zoo” (“A Life sentence: The Sad and Dangerous Realities of Exotic Animals in Private Hands”, 2010). The first effect is the suffering animals face during capture and transportation from one place to the next. The second effect is animals suffer from poor treatment. The third effect is the threat of disease on the human population. “The U.S. is the main destination for exotic and endangered wild animals” (Axtman, 2006). As one can see, there are a lot of different effects the exotic pet trade has on both the animal population and on humans as well.

Works Cited

“Pets”, T. D. (n.d.). Retrieved from Born Free USA: www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?p=1...

A Life Sentence: The Sad and Dangerous Realities of Exotic Animals in Private Hands. (2010, September 7). Retrieved from Born Free USA: www.bornfreeusa.org/a3b_exotic_pe...

Axtman, K. (2006, July 26). “After Exotic Pets Are Rescued, What Next? Retrieved September 3, 2016, from The Christian Science Monitor.

Facts about the Exotic Pet Trade. (n.d.). Retrieved September 3, 2016, from Animal Planet: www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/fat...

Hidalgo-Vila, J., Díaz-Paniagua, C., Pérez-Santigosa, N., de Frutos-Escobar, C., & Herrero-Herrero, A. (2008, December ). Salmonella in free-living exotic and native turtles and in pet exotic turtles from SW Spain. Retrieved from ProQuest: swansong.asumh.edu:2074/docview/1...

Keeping Tigers in Captivity: An Ideal Conservation Solution or Selfish Sham? (n.d.). Retrieved September 2, 2016, from One Green Planet: www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsand...

Kennedy, E. (2014-2015). The Dangers of the Exotic Pet Trade: From Tigers to Turtles. Retrieved September 3, 2016, from The Wildlife Watch Binoculars: www.wildwatch.org/Binocular/bino0...

Miller, S. B. (2003, October 14). Lions and tigers as pets: Should they roam freely? ; recent mauling in las vegas and other incidents add to push to regulate booming trade in exotic pets. Retrieved September 2, 2016, from The Christian Science Monitor : swansong.asumh.edu:2074/docview/4...

Veterinary Public Health. (2006, September 6). Retrieved September 3, 2016, from Los Angeles County Department of Public Health: LAPublicHealth.org