Zoos Vs Aquariums

According to ancient Egyptian records from around 1250 B.C., animals like birds, lions, and giraffes have been kept in captivity. According to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), a nonprofit organization that is committed to help zoos and aquariums in conservation, there are over 10,000 zoos, aquariums, and reserves worldwide. The Department of Agriculture has about 2,400 licensed zoos and aquariums in the United States alone. Of these 2,400 zoos and aquariums, only 212 are associated with the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) requires that these zoos and aquariums have high quality animal care (Fravel). There is a very controversial debate on whether zoos, aquariums, and reserves

should be allowed to keep animals in captivity for human amusement. Exotic animals that are kept as domestic pets pose a danger to themselves and to humans.
Many people in the United States keep exotic animals as domestic pets.

Animals that are brought to the United States and taken to someone’s home are said to have to go through the “exotic pet trade.” These animals are taken from their natural habitat, such as Australia, Brazil, and Africa and are exposed to harsh transport. Some examples of animals that are put in these conditions are parrots. They sometimes have their beaks and legs taped and are stuffed into tubes. Turtles suffer harsh conditions as well. They are trapped with tape inside their shells and shoved into small compartments along with many other turtles. These animals are put in such horrible conditions that many die before arriving at their destinations (“Exotic Animals as Pets”). These animals have to reason to be suffering because if they were left free in their natural habitat as they should be they would not have to

suffer.
These animals are put under the care of unskilled people that are lacking experience in animal care. Due to the inexperience of the caretakers, many of these animals suffer detrimental health issues. Their owners sometimes then feel the need to let them go into the outdoors or their natural habitat because they do not want them anymore or realize that they are not ready for the responsibility it takes to own an exotic animal. Since these animals are not familiar with the condition of their natural habitat they usually suffer from starvation or become victims to predators. In rare cases some of these animals survive these conditions, but then they begin to reproduce and eventually crowd the area, which causes disorder among other species. According to the Environmental Crime Investigation unit in Western Cape, South Africa, 90% of reptiles that are exported to different parts of the world die within a year of being exported (“Exotic Animals as Pets”). These animals are harming our ecosystem and damaging the food cycle. They are are suffering from the outcome of being taken from their natural habitat which is not necessary. If these animals would not be taken from their natural habitat they would not have to suffer for unnecessary reasons.
The “Exotic Pet Trade” poses a danger to humans as well. People who own these exotic animals expose themselves to danger because the animals needs exceed the limitations of a house. These captive animals react unknowingly to their owners. There have been cases where household animals have reacted so frantically or madly that they have killed their owner (“Exotic Animals as Pets”). Exotic animals being owned as pets are not only posing a threat to the animals themselves, but also the humans caring for them. The “Exotic Pet Trade” is causing negative outcomes in many aspects. According to the World Post, a partnership of the Huffington Post, Norman Buwalda, a 66-year-old man who lived in Canada, owned a 650-pound Siberian tiger that lived a cage in his house. In June 2004, a 10-year-old boy was taking photos of Buwalda’s animals on his property for a project. While he was taking the photos, he was attacked on Buwalda’s property by his Siberian tiger One day when Buwalda was entering the tiger’s cage to place the food inside the cage the tiger mauled him, which resulted in his death (Shapiro). Owning exotic pets as domestic animals is not a positive thing because in reality it is leading to pointless human deaths that can be avoided by not owning exotic animals as pets.
Seventy-five percent of diseases in our world today come from animals.

Common animals that carry these diseases are rats, prairie dogs, and parrots (“Exotic Animals as Pets”). According to Live Science, a science news website, researchers have found that 13 zoonoses, which are diseases transmitted from animals, cause approximately 2.2 million human deaths per year. "From cyst-causing tapeworms to avian flu, zoonoses present a major threat to human and animal health," lead researcher Delia Grace, a veterinary epidemiologist. According to researchers, about 60% of all human diseases are zoonotic, meaning they come from animals. Most zoonotic human diseases come from livestock, such as pigs, chickens, cattle, goats, sheep, and camels (Bryner). If humans would not come into close contacts with animals there would not be as many diseases in the world which would result in less human and animal deaths. According to WebMD, an American corporation that provides health news, advice, and expertise, a very common zoonotic disease in the world today is influenza, also known as the flu. Influenza usually comes from ducks, geese, or pigs and then it spreads to chicken and pigs. Leptospirosis is another example of a human infection that comes from animals. Leptospirosis is caused by contact with water, food, or soil that has been contaminated with urine from infected animals. This infection can lead to liver failure, kidney damage, brain and spinal cord infection, and rarely, death

(DeNoon). These zoonotic diseases cause discomfort and harm to humans. These diseases can be avoided by avoiding human contact with animals.
According to Born Free USA, an international and non-profit conservation and animal rights organization, there have been over 2,000 accidents due to animals held in captivity. Of these incidents, sixty-six percent have been with animals that are privately owned, twenty-eight percent with animals from a zoo, and the rest happened with animals from a circus. Most of these incidents have been with reptiles, big cats, and primates. The types of incidents that have happened have been animal escape, human injury, and death. There have been 82 human deaths from these incidents with animals that are in captivity (Slater). Most incidents happen with animals that are privately owned. This shows that animals that are privately owned do not have the proper training or discipline which results in excessive incidents and deaths that can be avoided easily.
Animals that are privately owned usually have many negative consequences. While many may say that there is nothing wrong with owning an exotic animal, some believe that there are problems with owning them. Studies have shown that owning exotic animals can lead to the spread of diseases, harm to the ecosystem, and harm or death to humans and the animals themselves.