Should Exotic Animals Be Kept As Pets Essay

All living species should be treated with care and respect, no organisms should be made a commodity for the sake of human interest. Exotic animals, which are unusual or rare species such as lions, tigers, and non-human primates – are nowadays kept within households as pets. However, according to research, 98% of the people believe that exotic animals should not be kept as “pets”. Such opinions are due to several reasons that are sometimes supported and other times opposed. Exotic animals should not be treated as pets because they are not completely tamable, they belong to their natural habitat, and they may be transmitting zoonotic diseases to those around them. In contrast, some people believe that exotic animals should be kept as pets to save them from extinction.

People may think that keeping wild animals such as lions as pets is exciting, yet it has proven to not be the case. A lion is a dangerous species that is used to life in the wild, where they get the chance to hunt their own food and prey on other animals; it is a natural instinct. Therefore, holding animals captives in homes of a restricted area and treating them like a domesticated cat or dog poses a threat on the individuals within that household. For example, during 2015, a circus trainer was attacked by the lion she has trained in front of masses of people in Egypt (News.com.au). Thus, one can see that even though an animal such as s lion is trained, fed, and taken care of, the fact that they will be obedient and safe cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, it is not wise to hold exotic animals as pets, for no one can be sure whether or not they are disciplined and harmless to be