Exotic animals as pets Keeping exotic animals as pets can be hard to do. Animals that are not domesticuated are complicated. I am going to tell you why you should not have exotic animals as pets. The United States is the main country that animals are being shipped to. Animals carry many diseases that are harmful to humans. Seventy-five percent of all new infectious diseases start from non human animals (peta.org). Ninety percent of macaque monkeys carry the virus herpes B (paws.org). Monkeys spread Herpes B through scratches, or bites. They can also pass it to you through feces, saliva, or urine. Once you contract the virus you need to seek medical help because in some serious cases it can be fatal (humanesociety.org). Most reptiles carry salmonella (paws.org). Salmonella can be spread by direct or indirect contact with the animals. Direct contact with reptiles accounts for seventy four thousand cases of salmonella a year (peta.org). “A study in Archives of Disease in Childhood reported that children infected with salmonella from contact with a reptile were more likely to develop serious bacterial diseases than other …show more content…
There are many laws concerning the ability to own an exotic animal. A few of the more important laws are the Lacey Act, the Public Health Service and Safety Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Each of these include details about owning exotic animals. “The Lacey Act allows the United States government to prosecute persons in possession of an animal illegally obtained in a foreign country” (onegreenplanet.org). The Public Health Service and Safety Act states that no non-human primate is allowed to be transported other than for scientific or educational purposes. The Endangered Species Act says that it is illegal to buy, sell, trade or possess an exotic animal (onegreenplanet.org). Currently nineteen states have a ban on private ownership of an exotic animals