By MADDIE ZOLA
Sheridan High School Student
The term “exotic” is ironically becoming less exotic. Nowadays it is becoming more and more common to see animals that don’t deserve human contact attached to the end of a leash. As a person who admires natural beauty, it is concerning and disheartening that animals I used to only see in picture books when I was little are now in local captivity. I would much rather travel hundreds of thousands of miles away to see creatures thriving in their natural habitats. The uneducated public eye will see exotic animals such as: monkeys, lions, tigers, cheetah cubs, dingoes, wolves, foxes and many other creatures as “cute and fun to own.”
People who adamantly search for and pay the ultimate price for exotic animals are being selfish and outright uncaring to the animals’ needs and wants. Society today wants “what’s new” and “fun.” However, when reality hits and you have to carry legal documents and avoid certain areas that do not permit the animal to be within human ownership, what once was “cool,” isn’t anymore. Medical costs are higher because foreign animals need special medical care due to veterinarians’ unfamiliarity with the animal. Although the creature has been forced into an unnatural habitat, it still eats the same prey which is most likely exotic as well, causing the price of food to increase. Not only will the animal not be able to adjust in the environment an owner has cruelly forced it in, the organism is stripped of its natural ability to interact socially with others of its kind.
There are so many cons to owning an animal meant to live in the wild. Emotionally, an animal can get depressed by being removed from the wild and placed into cities and towns with buildings and other animals it has never seen before. The importation of an animal can physically deteriorate its health and it can begin to eat irregularly and could potentially starve itself or become very sick. Behaviorally, those who are taken from the great outdoors will never truly lose their natural instincts, so that could induce anxiety and fear along with aggression. People, being self-centered and inconsiderate of these exotic animals, will blame attacks and harmful occurrences on the animal rather than what led up to the distress.
Just think about it: if people were to integrate unique creatures into our everyday lives, would we lose all form of respect for these animals? A parallel example to demonstrate this idea would be the value of money. If everyone in this world made enough money to supply their needs and wants, it would become useless. The value and drive to make money and have a budget would decrease almost into nonexistence. Similarly, if more exotic animals were to be incorporated everywhere around the globe locally, the admiration and excitement to see them would be gone.
I believe that the things we love most in this world should be kept in seclusion where they live and thrive most. So next time you think of buying that Fennec fox because it’s “cute,” think again. The purity and elegance of all exotic species should remain a rarity to humankind. We need to become more selfless and considerate, because after all, not only people live in this world.