Why Exotic Pets Should Not Be Banned


We all know how special interest groups can blow things out of proportion ? like the nonexistent "Exotic Pet Crisis." If you listened to some animal rights groups, you'd think keeping exotic pets is cruel, dangerous, and even bordering on treason! Before you buy that agenda, consider that a junior high student once made a convincing case for banning dihydrogen monoxide: colorless, odorless, and tasteless, it kills thousands of people every year.

Most deaths are caused by inhalation, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Dihydrogen monoxide is also known as hydroxl acid, is the major component of acid rain, may cause severe burns, contributes to land erosion, may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes, and has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.

This report was presented to 50 students, asking them what should be done about the chemical. 43 students favored banning it, 6 were undecided, and only one correctly recognized that 'dihydrogen monoxide' is actually H2O -- plain old water. How gullible are you?

Banning my cat makes about as much sense as banning yours ? and the results are just as heartbreaking for pet and owner. Are you ready for the truth about the "Exotic Pet Crisis?"

  • Exotic pets are not dangerous! One study showed that the risk of injury to exotic cat owners was less than the risk of injury due to a domestic dog bite. And every person who drives a motor vehicle subjects themselves and their family to a risk three times greater then does someone who owns even a large exotic cat such as a tiger.

  • Most exotic pet owners are kind, intelligent people who adore their animals and take excellent care of them. We love our pets just as you love yours.

  • Exotic animal bans result in beloved pets being confiscated, impounded, and usually killed. A lucky few live out their lives in cages under the care of strangers in zoos and sanctuaries. This is the dirty secret animal rights groups don't want you to know. Banning does not help animals: it kills them!

  • Exotic cat ownership is already regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, CITES, the Animal Welfare Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Lacey Act, more city, county, and state regulations than you can shake a stick at, as well as existing animal welfare and public safety laws that govern both exotic and domestic animals.

  • "You can buy a tiger on the Internet for $100.00," research-averse activists proclaim in horror. Just try to order up a tiger online, or even a serval. You won't succeed. This urban legend has great repeatability at cocktail parties and save-the-cute-animals-from-evil-humans fundraisers, but is severely lacking in the reality department. Breeders do have web sites, but it takes much more than a click of the mouse to purchase an exotic cat.

For information on wild and exotic cats from servals to tigers as pets, visit http://www.exoticcatz.com. The site includes articles on care, behavior, housing, and legal issues as well as species profiles and photos.

This article may be reprinted in its entirety only. Permission is not granted to reproduce in edited form or to support the ending of exotic pet ownership.







Related News




Pets Drive Gift Giving Trends This Holiday Season - MarketWatch

Pets Drive Gift Giving Trends This Holiday Season
MarketWatch -8 hours ago
GREENWICH, Conn., Oct 13, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- More than half of all dog and cat owners will be buying gifts for their pets this holiday season- about 83 ...

Fires & High Winds mean evacuate people, pets and livestock now. - NewsReleaseWire.com (press release)

CBC.ca

Fires & High Winds mean evacuate people, pets and livestock now.
NewsReleaseWire.com (press release) -7 hours ago
Hanson Dam and North Valley Evacuation Center- (Horses and pets.) San Fernando HS and Sylmar HS for human evacuees. (Humans) Red Cross for human needs. ...
Video: LA Fire Officials Try to Get Ahead of BlazesAssociatedPress
Fire in Little Tujunga Canyon Area Forces EvacuationsMyFox Los Angeles
all 3,443 news articles

Day care centers, cremation services now offered for your pets - ABS CBN News

Day care centers, cremation services now offered for your pets
ABS CBN News, Philippines -Oct 12, 2008
With their busy schedules and nobody to watch over their dogs and cats, pet owners can now leave their "babies" at Pooch Park Doggie Day Care . ...

System designed to help reduce unwanted pets - USA Today

System designed to help reduce unwanted pets
USA Today -1 hour ago
San Antonio has joined a growing number of communities mandating pet owners pay for licenses when their pets give birth if they intend to sell the offspring ...
Animal communication for skepticsSan Francisco Chronicle
all 2 news articles

Settlement to be argued in big pet food case - BusinessWeek

Settlement to be argued in big pet food case
BusinessWeek -7 hours ago
By GEOFF MULVIHILL On Tuesday, a federal judge will hear oral arguments on a proposal that would bring to $32 million the amount pet food makers and ...

California Animal Rehabilitation program helps dogs, cats and ... - Daily Breeze

California Animal Rehabilitation program helps dogs, cats and ...
Daily Breeze, CA -7 hours ago
Waldman, who worked as a doctor at several traditional animal hospitals before founding CARE, said she couldn't stand seeing otherwise healthy pets be ...
Tips to help with your pet's mobilityPasadena Star-News
all 3 news articles

Pets suffer from stress of marriage break-ups - Telegraph.co.uk

ITN

Pets suffer from stress of marriage break-ups
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom -Oct 12, 2008
Family pets are suffering from obsessive compulsive disorders caused by the stress of marriage break-downs, an animal charity has claimed. ...
Pets get stressed by couples break-upsNewsLite
DIVORCE IS TOUGH FOR PETSUK Express
Break-up couples 'cause pet stress'The Press Association
Aberdeen Press and Journal - Glasgow Daily Record
all 11 news articles

Call for ban on primates as pets - BBC News

BBC News

Call for ban on primates as pets
BBC News, UK -8 hours ago
By Mark Kinver A loophole in animal welfare laws that allows primates to be kept as household pets should be closed, an MP has urged. ...

Pudgy pets pose problems - Tri Valley Herald

Pudgy pets pose problems
Tri Valley Herald, CA -7 hours ago
So, should your pet start an Atkins Diet? Ramsey is a "cheese-aholic." At 6 years old and 156 pounds, this bull mastiff listens for his owner to unwrap the ...

Pets Lose Homes As Owners Face Hard Times - WAAY

Pets Lose Homes As Owners Face Hard Times
WAAY, AL -6 hours ago
And for some, that means giving up their family pet. The Decatur Animal Shelter houses just a few of the hundreds of dogs and cats waiting for someone to ...
Decatur Animals Affected by Struggling EconomyWHNT
all 2 news articles