A giant alligator sits motionless by a pool of calm water, a cougar licks his paws under the sun of a warm April day, and two grown tigers pace inside a fenced-in enclosure.
All four animals share a common history.They were all owned as pets by different Miami Valley residents and have been rescued by Preble County’s Heaven’s Corner Zoo.Throughout the years, workers at Heaven’s Corner, in West Alexandria, have taken in exotic pets that have either become too big or have gotten loose from their residential owners.
“If you have the experience and the compound to take care of an animal like that, I see no problem with it,” said zoo volunteer Scott Trochelman. “But to have one in an apartment in Dayton? No. These animals are killers in the wild and in captivity.
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May 21st, 2008 at 1:49 am
for me, dangerous or not, it depends on the individual him/herself. if you know how to deal with the exotic pet’s behavior, then it won’t be dangerous. and in fact, we’ve seen some people become best friends with some exotic pets right? they can even get along with wild animals like tigers or aligators
June 24th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Hi exoticpetlovers,
I agree that the relative “safety” of an exotic/wild pet depends on the knowledge and preparedness of the owner. If you treat the animal well and know what risks you are taking, then you should have the right (in my opinion) to own whatever pet you desire.
I think most of the problems caused by exotic/wild pets stem from the fact that a lot of owners are not prepared to care for them properly. Exotic and wild pets usually suffer and/or cause problems when they are abandoned by owners who are no longer able to support the animals. Often, the animals are either left to an animal sanctuary (causing the sanctuary increased costs that could have been avoided if the previous owner hadn’t purchased the exotic pet in the first place) or they are abandoned in the wild (where they suffer, die, unbalance the existing ecosystem as an invasive species, or cause harm to humans and their property).
I love the fact that private citizens can take in an exotic, perhaps endangered species of animal, and keep it alive and healthy. This practice has a huge range of applications in education and conservation. However, perhaps a need exists for preemptive educational programs targeted at the animal’s potential owners, so that problems such as those mentioned above can be avoided. What do you think?