Critical Analysis about Exotic Pet Trade

For this semester, I chose the topic of zoos and aquariums, but this critical analysis falls under my subtopic of the exotic pet trade. The article that I am evaluating is, “Surplus Animals: The Cycle of Hell” Written by Pat Derby, the co-founder of the PAWS organization, also known as the Progressive Animals Welfare Society. This article was published by PAWS website on January first, 1997. I am specifically analyzing chapters 4 and 5 of this article because they fit my topic the best. I have found this source to be reliable, credible, and useful for my semester topic. 

Derby had first-hand experience working on films with a handful of exotic “pets” before she started her sanctuary and organization giving her a unique perspective to the issues she writes about. She sent undercover investigators to auctions and other events, where they kept journals of their experiences and interactions with animals and people. Derby included in the article to show all the neglect and mistreatment they were subject to. In her writing, Derby quoted an article from the New York times, “In recent years, only illegal drugs have outstripped the cash value of the living and the dead wildlife that sluices through a black market toward trophy hunters, pet enthusiasts, and devotees of traditional medicines.” This article showed how the exotic pet trade was booming and who reaped the rewards.  

This author and article are both exceptionally reliable, due to Derby’s credentials and experience in the field, the PAWS organization is a well-known organization in the animal community. You can trust this source, but Derby does show bias throughout all her writing. She is very against the exotic pet trade and the keeping of exotic pets by nonprofessionals. This article is old, it was published on January first, 1997, but the information in the article is still true today meaning that it is not outdated. The exotic pet trade still faces many of the same issues that Derby wrote about in the article. One thing that has changed since the article was published is that there have been more laws and regulations put in place for the exotic pet trade making some exotic pets a less common occurrence. 

Derby’s original audience was people with a similar viewpoint as her and people who were trying to educate themselves on the topic of exotic pets. She wanted anybody who would listen to read her work. This article is educational and opinion based, it meets both purposes well. Derby quotes her undercover investigators and their writing in her article, I do not like this because we have no way of validating whether the investigators are being truthful neither does the author. I did like that the author included evidence in the form of a sales report from the auction that an undercover investigator writes about attending. I do think that there is a good balance throughout Derby’s article.  

The PAWS organization and its cofounder, Derby are reliable resources for my topic of zoos and aquariums. Derby has worked with exotic animals since she was young and has had firsthand experience in the industry. The PAWS organization is well known and supported by the animal community. Though there is some bias, there is also a good amount of evidence.