Exotic Pets: Why Do Americans Keep Dangerous Animals?

Keepers of exotic pets may imagine they’re protecting species. Yet too often owners do not reflect on the long-term needs or behaviors of wild animals. Manageable, adorable chimp, tiger and bear cubs quickly become aggressive adults, disposable and dangerous. Exotic animal ownership is rampant in the US, writes Louis Theroux in an essay for BBC News. Trade is booming in unregulated jurisdictions, with owners willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for exotic pets. US and global analysts are questioning the wisdom of such pet ownership after a Ohio man released his own collection 50 lions, tigers and chimps before killing himself. Police shot most of the animals, which had spent much of their lives in cramped cages. The US imposes few animal-protection regulations on private owners, Theroux explains, adding “In practice, an animal that roams hundreds of miles in the wild can find itself contained in a space no bigger than a living room.” – YaleGlobal