Exotic Pet Trade

The exotic pet trade is a multi-billion dollar industry in the U.S. and while some wild pets are bred in captivity, many are taken from their native habitats. Millions of animals are forced into the exotic pet trade every year for the purpose of becoming someone's pet or entertaining the masses in a circus or roadside zoo. People are enthralled with the idea to own an exotic animal as a pet but as the animal grows up, the owner soon realizes that they can no longer take care of the animal and many people just set them loose in the wild, resulting in disrupting the environment and putting humans in danger.
The diseases that animals carry can pose as a huge health risk for humans. Exotic animals pose serious health risks to humans. “Many exotic …show more content…
“Exotic pets that do survive release and establish themselves will inevitably interfere with or disrupt the surrounding ecosystem. Many non-native species that begin to colonize an area compete for resources with native species and depending on their size, prey on them. In many cases, invasive species that establish their dominance in an area can have irreversible effects on the local habitat. In addition to damaging balanced ecosystems, invasive species also harbor foreign disease and can become public safety hazards ("What Happens When People Release Exotic Animals Into the Wild").” Animals that do not naturally belong in one region are all of a sudden introduced and slaughter the nearby prey and unbalance the environment. This creates an overflow of a certain species or lack thereof, and it can turn into a big problem. “While some wild pets have been bred in captivity, many exotic animals are plucked directly from their native habitats. The stress of being violently removed from their homes causes some animals to die before they ever reach a private residence. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reports that infant animals are the most desirable and earn dealers the largest profits. Poachers will often kill the protective mother first so that it's easier to capture the young …show more content…
“The only way to stop the proliferation of the exotic animal trade and the suffering in it causes is to stop the breeding, bartering, trading, and sale of exotic animals for personal profit and amusement, and to teach the public that wild animals belong in the wild, not in our homes ("Articles:").” If buyers no longer have interest in buying a baby tiger instead of a house cat, then the dealers will have no one to sell to and the market price for the exotic animals will go down and eventually the business will cease to exist. “Join Endangered Species International to ban illegal trade of endangered animals ("Help Stop the Endangered Pet Trade").” You can donate as little as five dollars to help them track down dealers and put a stop to the trade. Also instead of making clothes out of the animals unique fur, you can just use faux fur that resembles the real thing. Ending the exotic animal trade will help animals all over the world avoid slaughter and keep nature in