Exotic Animals, Hunting and Transportation - Essay Example

? “EXPLORATORY ESSAY ON EXOTIC ANIMALS” It is true that animals are amazing companions tohave as pets and be friends with because they are loyal and loving but sometimes they are only bound to be that way because, hypothetically speaking, they may be sired to their captors/owners. Every affectionate lick or purr from your pet gives a beautiful feeling. However, there are few people and there is an emerging trend of preferring exotic animals as pets. Exotic animals are pets that generally cannot be characterized as pets and are domesticated either for fun, to preserve their species or as a status symbol. These animals are a sort of creatures that are considered very unusual ones to have as pets. These animals can include reptiles, amphibians, rodent, birds etc. Although there are many exotic animals which are not completely wild in nature they can be trained and taught how to live in houses as pets. These pets need special care and proper environment so that they can live a healthy life. These animals would not always develop a healthy relationship with their owners, which is why it is better that they may be allowed to thrive in their natural environment (Williams, and DeMello, n.p.). There are laws to prevent the sale of such animals around the world because often when some people succumb to purchasing these exotic animals from stores, online or auction it is important to understand how dangerous it is for these people. What I observed in my research throughout was the most painful process of transportation, since trading these animals is illegal. These exotic animals that we sometimes keep as “pets” usually suffer from malnutrition, loneliness and being trapped in an unnatural environment, cause deaths. We don’t consider the fact that this every precious animal that made it to the store or auctions followed countless of them to be painfully tortured to death (Allen, and Iggulden, n.p.). I always thought these animals are so afraid of being handled and taken care off because of the conditions they are made go through before coming to us. These few things always intrigued me and I always wondered what made them being so afraid. HUNTING AND TRANSPORTATION The hunting and capturing of these animals is usually done in Australia, Africa and from the jungles of Brazil there are a very few laws and regulations preventing these activities. And the few laws which do exist do not motivate their dealers and smugglers to abstain from their activities. Animals that die along the way, their heads range for thousands of dollars. When these animals are hunted, stripped from their natural habitats and transported around the world, they face the extreme conditions. Animals like parrots might have their feet and beaks taped and stuffed in plastic tubes to hide in their luggage. Stolen birds and reptiles are hidden in special vests so that they can bypass x-ray machines at airports. Baby turtles are tapes from the heads and stuffed in socks in great numbers while reptiles like baby pythons are stuffed in CD cases to ship them. A man who got arrested for shipping animals illegally had Asian leopards in his backpack, birds of paradise in his luggage and monkeys in his underwear. These are the deadly conditions in which these animals are moved from and round different countries. In an undercover investigation which was conducted by a welfare organization in a warehouse in Texas and more than 27,000 exotic animals were found painfully subjected to live in crowded conditions, no food, poor ventilation system, and no basic care. Half of those animals died because they were too weak to saved, hundreds of animals were already found dead along with 400 iguanas in shipping crates that were left for 2 weeks because their delivery was rejected with no food and water (Rudy, n.p.). There has been a very similar recent case of bird smuggling which got disrupted by the police the birds were immediately taken into custody. These birds were being transported in a small wagon and in a very poor condition with no food provided to the poor creatures. However, by the order from the judicial magistrate the birds were to be released immediately. POOR LIVING CONDITIONS Animals who do survive these hardships and live long enough to be sold are subject to major carelessness. Their caretakers are usually not prepared to provide their wanted medical attention and the needs which is why many exotic animals die for being abandoned by their caretakers. About 90 percent of the exported animals die within a year. Some animals have the tendency to mutilate themselves to death from the stress of being alone, which results in their death (Bekoff, n.p.) These exotic animals no matter how well they are kept, under proper care and comfort still remain wild in nature, they can never overcome their originality. It is important for us to consider their feelings, because they are capable of having them, and not strip them off from their basic rights of existence. These animals should be allowed to live in their natural habitats because being confined to an unnatural environment develops tension and loneliness, which creates diseases that are harmful for humans (Donahue and Trump, n.p.). The kind of life that is forced upon these innocent animals is really upsetting; the people that are involved in such trading of animals should be held responsible and penalized and such activities should be banned. People who are owners of these animals or who intend to be ones should be educated about the way these animals are painfully treated and conditions they are being kept in. Animals like cats and dogs are well-adjusted to the new environment and they might even like it but animals, which are wild in nature and live in completely different environment, can never adjust when being taken into a domestic homely environment. Due to their nature and the way they go through extreme conditions before they reach a safe haven, they develop a stressful feeling of anxiety. This is why these activities must be completely banned (Donahue and Trump, n.p.). Everything said and done we are the better examiners and judges to understand our actions to whether we can provide the right kind of care and environment that these birds and animals need. Everybody in this world has a way to thrive in their life and which is how they own their okace in nature. These sources affect my position because they change my feelings regarding this issue because I really feel for these animals and I really would like to save them from the entire trauma they have to go-through just for the sake that some of us are cruel. Trying to train animals and birds that are not meant to be will only kill their spirit and you will not be able to enjoy their true beauty. The reason for this paper is to spread awareness among the people that this is not only promoting animal cruelty instead it is also hazardous to our health. The fact that this topic is important and interesting to me is because firstly these animals need to be saved and they have equal rights to have freedom and live by their choice as anyone in the world and secondly because this is an issue that has become from very ordinary to very serious because its being done on a mass scale. These animals need help and we should provide it to them because I believe it is our call! (Donahue and Trump, n.p.). Works Cited Williams, Erin E., and Margo DeMello. Why Animals Matter: The Case for Animal Protection. Amherst, N.Y: Prometheus Books, 2007. Web. 23 Nov 2012. Allen, Julia, and Margaret Iggulden. Animal Rights. North Mankato, MN: Stargazer Books, 2006. Print. Rudy, Kathy. Loving Animals: Toward a New Animal Advocacy. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2011. Print. Bekoff, Marc. Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood Press, 2010. Web. 23 Nov 2012. Donahue, Jesse, and Erik Trump. The Politics of Zoos: Exotic Animals and Their Protectors. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2006. Print. Read More