Should Exotic Animals Be Kept As Pets Argumentative Essay Example
Many exotic pets, such as big cats, are one of the many animals close to extinction. Lately, there has been a debate on whether people should be able to have ownership of exotic pets or be banned from owning them. Many people who have owned exotic pets have struggled with keeping proper care of them. The simple answer is that the United States should ban people from being able to take ownership of such exotic animals because the animals are too expensive and hazardous to maintain for an individual; the common home does not offer the proper habitat or nutrition for the animals; and many conflicts would arouse from trying to license people rather than banning it all together.
To begin with, exotic animals are too expensive and hazardous to maintain for an individual. In the past, there have been multiple times where exotic pets have killed or injured their owner. A big cat in the wild only knows how to protect themselves so if you spook the animal, their automatic instinct is to protect themselves no matter what or who it is. Mike Tyson, a famous fighter, took ownership of some cats and was unable to acquire proper licensing for them (“Ban Ownership of Exotic Pets”). Therefore if a rich man cannot pay the expenses, an individual with less money would not be able to support an exotic animal either.
Secondly, a common home does not have the space to house an exotic animal or provide the proper nutrition for one. Imagine being kept in a backyard and not being able to go anywhere a person would want to go and being fed food that does not meet a human's needs. The habitat an exotic animal needs is not available in a suburb. They belong in the wild where they have room to wander and get the daily exercise they need. Not to mention, the nutrition an animal requires is very expensive and hard to come by. The article “Ban Ownership of Exotic Pets” states, “Unable to satisfy the animal’s needs for space and nutrition, which often happens, the owner becomes, in effect, an abuser.” (“Ban Ownership of Exotic Pets”). Lastly, many conflicts could arise from trying to license owners instead of just banning it all together.
In conclusion, these are a few of the many reasons exotic pets should not be owned by individuals. According to the article “License the Cats,” some people can afford to maintain exotic animals and give them a proper place to live and proper nutrition. However, it is not fair to the animals to be in a place where they do not belong. Animals deserve to be in the wild where they have their own freedom to wander, hunt, and have a happy and suitable life. The United States should take away the opportunity to have the right to own such beautiful, wild animals. Put the exotic animals in their natural habitat and let them roam freely.
