Care and Feeding of Exotic Pets - Essay Example

Care and Feeding of Exotic Pets One trend that has begun to exhibit itself more and more within the pet industry is the capture, smuggling, and sale (and illegal sale) of exotic pets. An “exotic pet”, for purposes of this brief essay, may be defined as a pet that is not typically thought of as a pet and/or is not supposed to be kept in such a way. Sadly, for reasons that would require an essay on human psychology and other motivating factors, many individuals seek out exotic pets as a way to differentiate and/or set themselves apart from others. Of course, the moral and ethical concerns that such an action portend are far greater than the need to accessorize one’s life with animals that were never intended to be kept as pets. Yet, for purposes of this brief analysis, the author will not focus on the causal factors that motivate people to acquire such pets; rather, the author will herein focus upon the many reasons that exotic pets are an unethical and immoral choice for those that wish to pursue such an end. As such, this analysis will concern itself with analyzing the argument against exotic pets based on the following areas: the practice is disrespectful to animals that are not predisposed to being pets, the practice encourages harm to the natural habitat and environment from whence the exotic pet is taken, the practice encourages the illegal trade and black market sale of such animals, the practice puts many already endangered species at risk of extinction, the practice creates a perception in the mind that ownership of such creatures is both normal and moral, and lastly, the practice encourages the transfer of animals for non educational purposes to live out the remainder of their lives in captivity. The first of these reasons hinges upon the fact that animals that are not predisposed by nature to being pets are kept in such a manner. As anyone with experience with animals that for generations have been kept and handled as pets can attest, the evolutionary nature of these animals has shifted to create normalized relations between pets and humans that are the result of many hundreds (even thousands) of years. With the dog or cat for instance, the earliest known examples of civilization refer to the fact that these animals have been living side by side with humans, enjoying a symbiotic relationship that has developed over long lengths of evolutionary history (Hessler 43). However, the same cannot be said for the recent trend towards exotic pets. As more and more species are disappearing from the face of the earth, the human drive to somehow retain something unique and exotic from the animal kingdom is akin to a desire to buy a new fashion accessory as a way to differentiate oneself from the crowd. Naturally, such an emotion should never be associated with the animal kingdom. A secondary issue that is tangentially associated with the first is the fact that many of these animals require unique and individualized care (Clark 3). Oftentimes such care is outside of the capability and/or specialty of non-trained individuals; such as the final owners of the exotic pet. This lack of understanding and specialized knowledge can easily result in the improper care and treatment of a range of ailments and issues that might arise during the animal’s lifetime. As a function of this fact, the pet-owner is oftentimes either unaware or unable to identify, treat, and ameliorate the range of issues that may manifest themselves during the lifetime of the pet. A tertiary issue related to keeping exotic animals as pets is the destruction to the natural habitat and environment that is oftentimes part and parcel of having what this author refers to as “biological treasure hunting” taking place in what would otherwise be considered pristine environments. What this amounts to is a large number of people that are employed to plunder some of the most untouched regions of Africa, South America, and Asia in an attempt to bring the end consumer the most perfect specimens in the process. Naturally, as a function of the trapping, capture, and transportation of these creatures, there is a high attrition rate. Furthermore, the destruction to the natural habitat of these animals by litany of disrespectful trappers/hunters means that fewer and fewer areas can be enjoyed by the native species without the continual fear of encroachment and destruction of human beings. Many times this encroachment and destruction takes place on lands that have been specifically set aside by governments and municipalities as a preserve for such species; thereby compounding the problem to an even further degree. As if the dangers of the native environment are not already enough to ensure that the species itself struggles to stay alive and continue to support its population in the face of human incursion into native habitat and the daily fight for survival, shelter, and food, these animals must now contend with the primary predator – man. Fourthly, the practice of acquiring and keeping exotic pets is inherently wrong, not only to the animal itself and its environment, health, the prospects of life-long captivity, but with respect to the fact that it encourages an entire segment of the black market economy (Chomel 7). It seems that hardly a week passes without law enforcement or customs and border patrol officials intercepting an individual with suitcases full of exotic pets for sale within the black market. Whereas one might be hesitant to engage in other activities with known links to organized crime, few give much forethought to the fact that large organized crime organizations specialize in illegally capturing, transporting, and selling many of the exotic species that are available in exotic pet stores. For this reason alone, regardless of how one might feel with relations to the animal’s rights, it behooves the individual to be mindful of the many issues of legality associated with such a practice. Although it may not be convenient for an individual to consider the fact that the exotic pet industry is characterized by a very well defined structure of organized crime, it is nonetheless true. In very much the same way that criminal groups practice human trafficking and drug smuggling, exotic pet smugglers follow the very same modes of operation and criminal networks. In this way, whether or not one has a general understanding for the habitat harmed, the senseless destruction of the species, or the moral implications of keeping such an exotic animal in captivity, at the very least, the known criminal aspects of the exotic animal trade should necessarily give a person pause. Fifthly and perhaps most obviously, the capture, transfer, and sale of exotic pets puts many already endangered species at risk of complete extinction. Rather than seeking to capture and keep these animals as some form of trophy, it would behoove everyone involved to seek to allow them to continue to live out the remainder of their lives within their native environment. However, due to the fact that this is not the case, more and more of these endangered and critically endangered species are being transferred from their already sensitive environments and sold to pet retailers only to end up in someone’s house as a type of trophy (The Effects Of Economic Recession On Exotic Pet Practice 355). This practice is particularly bad due not only to the reasons that have thus far been mentioned but due to the fact that the capture and sale of exotic pets is tantamount to the destruction of the species in question. Due to the fact that the animal is removed from its natural environment, it has no prospects of mating or bearing offspring. As such, the species is irrevocably harmed. Although few individuals would consider it sporting or moral to go into the native habitat of these species and kill them for sport, that is in effect what is being accomplished due to the fact that they are removing the animal from its native environment, never to return, and without the prospect of reproducing and sustaining a species that is likely in decline or endangered. In this way, the exotic pet is indicative of the same type of behavior that typified big trophy hunters of the past century. Not dissimilar to our own desire to keep exotic pets, these trophy hunters would fan out across Africa and the rest of the world and seek to kill animals of rare varieties as a way to pad their own ego and prove that they were able to take possession of the rarest and most prized of animals in the entire world (Brown 713). Such a basic human construct is no doubt what leads to the wholesale destruction of habitat and the desire to accrue specimens for one’s own personal benefit. Another issue that keeping exotic pets portend is the fact of how the practice is viewed. Naturally, as certain behaviors become more and more mainstream in society they are accepted to a larger and larger degree. Whereas but a few brief years ago, having an exotic pet was “exotic” and outside the norm, this is very much no longer the case. Such a shift in public opinion has a secondary effect however. Due to the fact that more and more people have become used to and accept the keeping of exotic animals as pets, it has meant that there is less and less of a societal backlash against the many problems that have thus far been listed (Birds and Exotic Pets 339). Rather than giving people pause to consider the negative ramifications of such an action, the mainstream acceptance of exotic animals has meant that fewer and fewer shareholders within society raise the alarm of the negative consequences to the pet, the owner, and the environment that such a practice is likely to cause. Yet another issue associated with the capture, sale, and ownership of exotic pets is the fact that due to the owner’s general misunderstanding of how to treat these animals, they are oftentimes discarded soon after they have been purchased. Due to the fact that the owners often have a romanticized view of what exotic pet ownership will entail, they are unable to handle the many daily requirements of proper health, sanitation, and individualized attention that these animals require. As much of this analysis has been concentric around the ways that these animals are different from traditional pets, this issue is perfectly illustrated in the fact that the release of these animals into a non-native environment as a means of disposal by the owner has long lasting effects to the environment of the location in ways that although morally reprehensible, the disposal of dogs and cats would not (The Effects Of Economic Recession On Exotic Pet Practice 72). For instance, many instances of exotic pets disposed in non-native areas has caused a great deal of harm and concern due to the fact that they have the potential to behave in ways that they would otherwise not in their own native environment. A case in point would be that of the Burmese python populations that have begun to establish themselves within the southern tip of the state of Florida. Due to the fact that these animals have been released by their owners in a rather tropical and wet environment, the Burmese pythons have adapted to the Floridian landscape and habitat and begun to do damage to native species as their rates of reproduction and growth exceed that of the many native forms of competing wildlife (Moutou et al 359). A further example would be that of the Giant African land snail whose extraordinarily rapid rate of reproduction has meant irrevocable damage to native species in low-lying wet regions in and around the southern regions of the United States. As non-native species are introduced there are but three options. First, the non-native species may struggle to find adequate food, shelter or a mate and subsequently die. Second, the species may survive but be unable to reproduce due to a range of reasons. Thirdly, conditions may be right for the species (or it may adapt to the new conditions), find a mate and produce offspring. Although it is unethical for the reasons listed above to abandon an exotic pet in the wild, from the situations listed above, by far the worst is the last one with respect to a non-native species being introduced and procreating in a non-native environment. Oftentimes, the destruction to key resources and other forms of life (both plant and animal) are not able to be immediately measured; however, it is known that once an invasive species takes over, the damage to the native environment is oftentimes non-reversible. The final reason that this author will put forward for not choosing to keep an exotic animal as a pet relates to the fact that it is unequivocally immoral and selfish to keep such an animal for non-educational or public awareness purposes (Exotic Animals 51). Although this author is not against the existence of zoos and wild-life engagement areas, the keeping of such a pet for personal gain does nothing to educate the public with regards to the life form in question. Rather, such an action is merely evidence of what can only be described as a rather selfish need to set oneself apart from the crowd. However, as one might expect, the author of this piece strongly advocates that acquiring an exotic pet is perhaps one of the worst ways to do this due to the host of reasons which have thus far been mentioned in this brief analysis. Finally, a host of issues have been raised on both the ethical, moral, and environmental fronts of the exotic pet trade. Rather than a mere singular reason for why the exotic pet trade is bad for both the animal and the pet owner as well as the environment and society at large, this analysis has been able to present the multifaceted evils that such a practice necessarily entails. From these, it is the hope of this author that the reader will come to a firm and overarching conclusion that such a practice is necessarily bad for the individual, the native environment, and society at large. Moreover, it should be the understanding of those that might consider such a course of action that it would be far better to allow nature to present these animals to us within their natural environment as both the individual animal and the pet owner stand to gain a more profound level of respect and understanding as well as useful appreciation for the species in their natural environment than they would if the animal was relegated to life inside a pen, aquarium, or cage. Furthermore, as with any form of pet ownership, personal responsibility is of tantamount importance as it is necessary to devote such a massive amount of one’s personal time to ensuring the health, survival, and happiness of the pet in question. For this reason, as well as the others listed, exotic animals are best left in the wild within their natural habitat. In this way, humanity can seek to both protect and enjoy for a much longer period of time than would be possible if they continue to dismantle specific animal communities for the exotic pet market. Works Cited "Birds And Exotic Pets: Not Just For Veterinarians." Journal Of Avian Medicine & Surgery 24.4 (2010): 339-342. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. Brown, Robert. "Exotic Pets Invade United States Ecosystems: Legislative Failure And A Proposed Solution." Indiana Law Journal 81.2 (2006): 712-731. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. Chomel, Bruno B., Albino Belotto, and François-Xavier Meslin. "Wildlife, Exotic Pets, And Emerging Zoonoses." Emerging Infectious Diseases 13.1 (2007): 6-11. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. Clark, Elisabeth. "The Care And Feeding Of Exotic Pets." Library Journal 137.16 (2012): 74. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. "Exotic Animals: Appropriately Owned Pets Or Inappropriately Kept Problems?." Journal Of Avian Medicine & Surgery 25.1 (2011): 50-56. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. "Exotic Pets Injuring Their Owners." Veterinary Record: Journal Of The British Veterinary Association 171.6 (2012): 140. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. Hessler, Katherine, and Tanith Balaban. "Exotic Animals As Pets." Gpsolo 26.5 (2009): 42-47. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. Moutou, F, and P P Pastoret. "Why Own An Exotic Pet?." Revue Scientifique Et Technique (International Office Of Epizootics) 29.2 (2010): 359. MEDLINE. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. "The Effects Of Economic Recession On Exotic Pet Practice." Journal Of Avian Medicine & Surgery 22.4 (2008): 353-357. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. Read More