Debate

Should a TigerBe Your Pet?

EXOTIC PETS CAN BE CUTE AND FASCINATING, BUT THEY CAN ALSOBE DANGEROUS. WHY ARE THEY SO POPULAR? BY JUSTIN O'NEILL

Florida teenFelicia Friscoloves hercat. Will. Shecuddles with

him, plays with him,and feeds him. Until hisfirst birthday. Will sleptwith Felicia every night.

Sounds like a typicalcat, right? Not quite.For one thing, he'senormous. When fullygrown, he'll weigharound 500 pounds.

Will is a Bengal tiger.

Cute But DeadlySix in 10 Americans own some

type of pet—a dog, a cat, or maybea hamster. Such animeils are"domesticated," meaning that,over time, their species has beenbred to live among humans. Will,however, is an "exotic pet," that is,a wild animal. According to someestimates, as many as 18 millionAmericans own exotic pets, fromiguanas to monkeys to kangaroos.

Why would you want to owna wild animal—especially onethat could eat you? There are

What happenedto teddy bears?

lots of reasons. Owning an exoticpet can be a way to express yourpersonality. For some, these pets arestatus symbols—a way to show off.

But that can backfire. Just look atParis Hilton. In 2005, she adopteda kinkajou, a small mammal nativeto Central and South America. Sheadored going out on the town with"Baby Luv"—until one day. BabyLuv bit her so deeply that she hadto go to the hospital.

Hilton made a full recovery, butshe was lucky. Exotic pets can turn

on their owners at any moment.The thing about wild animalsis . . . they're wild. They haveinstincts we can't always predictor control. Plus, exotic pets maycarry deadly diseases that spread tohumans.

The danger these creaturespose isn't the only problem withkeeping them, though. Animal-rights advocates say it's downrightcruel to remove animals from theirnatural habitats. Wild monkeys,birds, and big cats are used to

16 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • APRIL 23, 2012

roaming several miles per day,not living in a cage or doing circlesin someone's yard.

A Lot of WorkNevertheless, exotic pets,

when cared for responsibly, canmake wonderful companions.As professional animal handlers,Felicia's parents are well-qualifiedto give Will a good life. But noteveryone is so knowledgeable.

The fact is, exotic pets are alot of work and a lot of money.(Felicia's parents spend hundredsof thousands of dollars on Willevery year.) As a result, manyowners end up neglecting or evenabandoning their animals.

For years, people have beendumping their pet pythons in theFlorida Everglades when the snakesget too big. Today, these reptilesare wreaking havoc as they gobbleup the natural wildlife, altering theentire ecosystem of the Everglades.

Despite the risks, manyAmericans are willing to forkover big bucks for an exotic pet.According to the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service, 650 million wereimported legally from 2003 to 2006.Counfless more are smuggled intothe U.S. illegally

As for Felicia and Will? Someexperts say a tiger shouldn'tever share a bed with a person.Zookeeper Jack Hanna compares itto sleeping with a bomb. But Feliciaisn't concerned. She says thatraising Will is "kind of like raisinga dog."

Yeah . . . kind of. •

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EXAMINE POINTS ON BOTH SIDES—AS WELL AS YOUR OWN BELIEFSAND EXPERIENCES Decide what you think. Should we be allowed to ownexotic pets? State your answer in one sentence below. This can become athesis statement for an essay on this topic.

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