Santiago Sciaroni, Juani Navasal, Luca Capria, Sofia Borsutzky, Simon Samparizi and Belén

Andreotti
Debate: people should be allowed to have exotic animals as pets → IN FAVOUR

Base arguments:
● If they escaped, exotic pets would have the same type of invasive effects in the environment
as regular pets would.
● Some people only want pets that will live a long time.
● Exotic animals can be great for people with pet allergies.

● All animals were sometime considered “exotic”

https://www.mdzol.com/sociedad/2021/9/29/increible-argentina-es-el-pais-con-mayor-cantida
d-de-mascotas-por-habitante-190306.html#:~:text=Mientras%20que%20la%20media%20glob
al,porcentaje%20escala%20a%20un%2080%25.

Exotic: interesting or exciting because of being unusual or not familiar.

https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/exotic

El ambiente del animal puede no ser el adecuado para su organismo.

Exotic animals:
The common exotic animal definition is an animal that is not domesticated and lives in the
wild far away from where we live. This makes the classification of exotic animals different
from place to place.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/exotic-animals-definition-names.html

- Therefound

An exotic pet is a pet which is relatively rare or unusual to keep, or is generally thought of as
a wild species rather than as a domesticated pet. The definition varies by culture, location, and over
time—as animals become firmly enough established in the world of animal fancy, they may no longer
be considered exotic.
In general, animals that are not domesticated are usually classified as being exotic. This
includes birds, fish, reptiles, invertebrates, and many pocket pets that are commonly purchased from
pet stores. Dogs, cats, chickens, cows, horses, goats, pigs, and other animals that are domesticated are
not usually classified as exotic pets. However, rabbits may or may not be considered exotic. Exotic
pets may also include some wild animals, both native and foreign species, that people choose to own
and care for.
The term exotic is generally used to describe something that is foreign, or something different
or unusual. The problem with using "foreign" is that it is a relative term, so is not a precise definition
in itself. "Different" and "unusual" are problematic as a definition too. Some pets included in the
common usage of "exotic pet" are not really that unusual (e.g rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, and guinea
pigs are pretty widely accepted as pets), but it is still common practice to categorise them as exotic
pets since they are not as common as pets as cats and dogs and not all small animal veterinarians are
willing or able to care for them.
Example: some rodents, reptiles and amphibians have become firmly enough established in the world
of animal fancy to no longer be considered exotic.
 Santiago Sciaroni, Juani Navasal, Luca Capria, Sofia Borsutzky, Simon Samparizi and Belén
Andreotti
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/exotic-pet-trade

● Educational purposes where exotic animals can act incredibly useful to teach. (dos chicos)
Info:
Exotic pets are so different from cats and dogs that owning one can be an incredible learning
experience. Exotic pets are fascinating. With their unique behaviours and complicated social
interactions, both with each other and with us, they really can teach us all sorts of new information.
They can really teach us all kinds of new information. But their gregariousness can be a
double-edged sword for an owner; These exotic pets have very specific social and environmental
needs, and before you embark on the journey to exotic pet ownership, you need to make sure you are
aware of the needs of the exotic pet species you are considering so you don't end up with a pet whose
requirements are more than I expected.
Zoos can be used as tools to educate people about exotic animals. Zoo visitors are able to see
a wild animal closely while learning about their behaviour and the environment they live in.
Zoos may be the only opportunity for someone to see a wild animal. That species may not be
native to that area or could be dangerous if encountered in the wild. A study found that zoos and
aquariums educate people about ecosystems and biodiversity.
Such tamer animals make great pets for more people, yet this does not mean that so-called
"wild" animals can't be effectively cared for by the right people. I’m not sure why people have
appointed themselves rulers of the universe and feel they get to declare that a group of animals, due to
their lack of tameness to the extent of another, can no longer be considered a "pet" even if it is being
appropriately cared for. A pet is an animal you are in charge of and care for; it does not mean that you
must treat a tiger, fish, or snake like a dog. Exotic pet keeping requires "animal sense" and
adaptability on the owner's part (not the animal's). The MSPCA recommends that each school or
school district establish an Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) to assist teachers, students, and
parents in complying with these guidelines. The ACUC can be charged with reviewing the
management of classroom pets, plans for classroom activities involving animals, and proposed science
fair projects. The ACUC can ensure that, if an animal is used in a classroom or science fair, the animal
is well cared for and not harmed in any way.

If you do, sadly, find yourself unable to care for your exotic pets, be aware that not all rescue
centres will be able to take them. Start looking for help as soon as possible and try searching for
rescue organisations for your species, specialist keeper forums or groups, and exotics specialist vets.

Example (case about exotic animals being useful to educate and inform students, people):
https://wildwonders.org/education/assemblies/

● Frequently they are acquired due to their poor state in the wild that can cost their extinction
(dos chicos)

El informe final de WWF-Australia titulado "Impactos de los incendios forestales sin precedentes de
2019-2020 en los animales australianos" señala que las llamas afectaron a unos 41.000 de estos koalas
de la Isla Canguro, en Australia del Sur, y a otros 11.000 en el estado meridional de Victoria.
 Santiago Sciaroni, Juani Navasal, Luca Capria, Sofia Borsutzky, Simon Samparizi and Belén
Andreotti
El experto agrega que muchos de los animales que han sobrevivido los incendios podrían morir
posteriormente debido a la falta de alimento y refugio que resultan de la pérdida de sus hábitats.

En días recientes ha estado circulando una cifra de los animales que pudieron haber muerto en los
feroces incendios que están azotando a Australia: 480 millones de ejemplares.

We are a non-profit, staffed only by volunteers, run shelter. We have a team of dedicated volunteers
and wildlife carers who spend endless hours caring for our precious wildlife.

We are on call 24 hours a day 7 days a week, to rescue injured and orphaned wildlife. We perform
hundreds of wildlife rescues each year.

The shelter admits 120+ Koalas per year. We also take various other species into care but we are
known for being a specialist shelter for Koalas and in burns treatment.

Our current goal is to raise funds to purchase the land for our wildlife hospital. This has to be done
solely through our own fundraising and by generous donations from the public.

https://samthekoala.com.au/

There Are Over 5,000 Tigers in Captivity in the U.S. That's More Than the Number of Wild
Tigers Around the World:

There used to be over 100,000 tigers living free in the wild, and now only a mere fraction of
this amount remains. That’s pretty startling and gives more reason as to why captive breeding
programs must be established by credible zoos and professionals. It’s a good thing that tigers readily
breed in captivity. It is likely that in about 30 years, a zoo housing one tiger will have more tigers than
in the wild. The amount of "pet" tigers is also often radically exaggerated. Most captive tigers live in
zoos, sanctuaries, and other so-called educational facilities, but they are not private pets as many
groups would lead you to believe.

Definition of PET: an animal that is kept in the home as a companion and treated kindly.

The other group will talk about Monkeys and diseases

https://avianexoticsvet.com/blog/why-should-i-choose-an-exotic-pet/

https://pethelpful.com/.amp/pet-ownership/10-Fast-Reasons-Why-Exotic-Pets-Should-Be-Legal

https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/news/exotic-animals-should-not-be-kept-pets-agree-87-europea
ns-asked
 Santiago Sciaroni, Juani Navasal, Luca Capria, Sofia Borsutzky, Simon Samparizi and Belén
Andreotti
Why Should Exotic Animals Be Kept As Pets 2 - Livelaptopspec (lettersandscience.net)

https://avianexoticsvet.com/blog/why-should-i-choose-an-exotic-pet/

The Pros And Cons Of Keeping An Exotic Animal As A Pet – PatchPets

https://www.parlia.com/a/zoos-educate-about-exotic-animals

The Term “Exotic” Is Completely Subjective.

First of all, "exotic pet" is just a term that means "non-traditional or uncommon pet", and what
constitutes such is completely subjective depending on the culture. In other words, for most
Americans, all animals that aren't dogs, cats, or common farm animals. This includes some
"domesticated" animals. The very fact that most existing arguments against exotic pets do not clarify
this reveals that people are not engaging in a rational debate, rather, they are reacting to the presence
of animals that make them uncomfortable due to lack of familiarity and their own ignorance. Exotic
pets, like all pets, have different needs, and when one argues that a certain pet is "too hard to for", they
are just failing to realize that not all animals are suitable for every owner. Just as most people do not
have the room for a horse, doesn't mean they should be banned as pets. The same logic applies to
large exotic pets.

10 Reasons Why Exotic Pets Should Be Legal - PetHelpful

Exotic Animals Shouldn’t Be An Issue

Exotic animal ownership is something that is highly debated by many people today and raises many
questions. Should exotic animals such as: monkeys, tigers, lions and other such desert dwelling or
jungle dwelling animals be allowed to be kept in captivity by humans. Or should they be able to just
roam free in the wild? Many people would be inclined to say roam free because it is not “natural” for
wild animals to be kept in captivity. Or they can potentially be very dangerous if they escape or turn
on a person, they can also carry very deadly diseases. Despite these being true statements, there are
many reported pitbull fatalities and attacks each year, along with rottweilers and other types of large
and aggressive dogs.

Many people place "domesticated" animals in the suitable pet category, and "exotic" or so called wild
animals in the "bad pet" category. But some exotic pets are easier to manage than some domesticated
animals-including dogs and cats. Owner of working dogs love to talk about how to average owners
can't handle their border collie or "high-drive" Belgian Malinois.

The idea of someone making it illegal to own a dog or cat seems unfathomable. It is irrefutable that
the ownership of these species has problems, but no activist would dare try to ban the right to own
them. They know they would be laughed out of the room, anyway.
 Santiago Sciaroni, Juani Navasal, Luca Capria, Sofia Borsutzky, Simon Samparizi and Belén
Andreotti
Our culture recognizes the profound need for pets. Pets have been shown to lower blood pressure and
increase longevity in humans. Pets may improve mental health for some people. The benefits of pets
outweigh the negatives. That special pet that makes a positive difference in one's life might not be a
dog. Some people gravitate towards exotic pet species instead of conventional ones (or both) but are
denied in most states simply because that species is not popular. Banning someone’s pet deer, fox, or
kinkajou is no different from banning someone’s cat, and it causes the same distress.

Exotic animals can be great for people with pet allergies.

This section deals with exotic animals of low intelligence and low risk. Such animals include several
reptiles, rodents, frogs, unconventional felines, such as the serval, fennec foxes, guinea pigs, etc.
Dangerous and endangered animals such as chimpanzees, pythons, big cats, crocodiles, etc., do NOT
belong in a domestic environment, and shouldn’t be kept as pets. More explanation of their situation is
provided further on.

Although many people would love to have a pet dog or cat, they often cannot, because they or their
family members have allergies to the dander that furry pets carry on their coats. All is not lost for
these people, however; they can still have a loving pet if they choose a reptile (such as a lizard, turtle,
tortoise, or snake) that has neither hair nor dander on its skin. They might even be able to have a
hairless rat or guinea pig if they are not severely allergic, and if they are not allergic to feathers, they
might also be able to own a bird. So don’t despair if you’re allergic to hair!

1. Exotic animals are not necessarily harder to care for than domestic ones.
2. The risk of zoonotic disease spread from exotic pets is misrepresented.
3. If they escaped, exotic pets would have the same type of invasive effect on the environment as
regular pets would.
4. Exotic pet ownership generates niche jobs.
5. Exotic pets are mostly only ‘dangerous’ if they are large—just like other animals.
6. The black market is already illegal.
7. The right to own pets is as fundamental as it gets.
8. There are no good, reasonable arguments against owning them
9. Some people are allergic to hairy pets.
10. Although many people would love to have a dog or cat as a pet, they often cannot because
they or their family members have allergies to the dander that hairy pets carry on their fur.
These seemingly unfortunate people can still have a loving pet, however, if they choose a
reptile (such as a lizard, turtle, tortoise, or snake) that has neither hair nor dander on its skin.
If they are not allergic to feathers, they might also choose a bird. So don’t despair if you’re
allergic to hair.

https://www.ipl.org/essay/Should-People-Be-Allowed-To-Keep-Exotic-PJJC2LZVYT
 Santiago Sciaroni, Juani Navasal, Luca Capria, Sofia Borsutzky, Simon Samparizi and Belén
Andreotti

Melissa Smith Veterinary: What to Say to People Who Are Against Exotic Pet Ownership -
PetHelpful

Why Choose an Exotic Pet, Anyway? (pethealthnetwork.com)

https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/trerecpro/2012/103274/zoos.pdf

Belu
Sofi
Luca
Santi

Hello everyone, we are Santiago Sciaroni, Juani Navasal, Luca Capria, Sofia
Borsutzky, Simon Samparizi and Belén Andreotti and today, we are going to state our
position in favor of the statement “exotic animals should be kept as pets”. Well but let's start
from the very beginning, worldwide, an approximate of 56% of the world's population have
at least one pet, and more than one of us in this room can relate to this. But what exactly is
considered a pet? A pet is an animal that is kept in your home to give you company and
pleasure. However, this debate will tackle the controversy if exotic animals should be kept as
pets.
As stated by the Macmillan dictionary, the term exotic is defined as “interesting or
exciting because of being unusual or not familiar.” In Argentina, for example, dogs, cats,
chickens, cows, horses, goats, pigs, are not usually classified as exotic pets. However, a tiger,
a giraffe, a lion, are without a doubt considered exotic. Indeed, this changes within culture,
location and over time, as people get used to certain species and they link up to their
normality. Therefore, not allowing domestication of exotic animals as a whole would be
inefficient and foolish. How do you think your dogs and cats first came from? Parrots and
tortoises? Even simple pet fishes? Aspects like these one´s carry a great importance and do
matter when talking about the broad decision of banning domestication of exotic pets.
Apart from that, when referring to an exotic animal, as Artem Cheprasov, a veterinary
graduate in medicine explained, an exotic animal is an animal that “lives in the wild far
aways from where we live. This makes the classification of exotic animals different from
place to place.” For that reason, as it was mentioned before this term is not only once again
being very broad and non-specific, as for example, a zebra is considered exotic in the United
States of America but not in eastern Africa, but it also shows clearly the reason why exotic
animals need to be kept as pets. How do you think these animals, that are foreign to the
country, will live in the place? Certainly they will not update correctly. Hence, people bring
exotic animals towards their homes, in order to give the animal the adequate necessities. For
Instance, taking again the zebra as an example, they couldn't live in a tropic place as its not
their natural habitat, so they need to be held by humans in order to survive with their needed
conditions. Once again, coming to the conclusion that these are some factors that should
 Santiago Sciaroni, Juani Navasal, Luca Capria, Sofia Borsutzky, Simon Samparizi and Belén
Andreotti

definitely be taken into account before making such an unintelligent decision of canceling the
possibility of having an exotic animal as a pet.
Thank you. (454)

Moving onwards, I will discuss our second argument. Nowadays, there exist
thousands of people who have an uninformed opinion about exotic animals, and most of them
adopt the society's opinion. This means that these people begin to believe that these animals
should be excluded from our society. But, when looking more into depth of it, exotic animals
can have many other beneficial and helpful features that make our society improve a lot
more. A clear case that illustrates this idea, is how exotic animals can be useful for education.
The owning of exotic pets is an incredible learning experience, they are fascinating.
Exotic animals count with their unique behaviors and complicated social interactions, acting
as a great tool to really teach us all sorts of new information. Perhaps teaching how to interact
properly with animals and create healthy and mutual benefit bonds. Helping kids to, for
example, understand that there exist other living beings that just like them, have the necessity
of eating, going to the bathroom, or simply sleeping.
A clear and explicit example of this, is a successful organization that works on
educational programs called Wild Wonders. “Is a licensed insured animal education
organization composed of caring professionals with a combined lifetime of experience in
animal handling and education.” Achieving across time the ability to teach through different
animals with unique origins, characteristics and behaviors. It is a fact that these animals have
special needs, being, not only a funny and special moment for individuals but creating a better
society with virtuous manners.
The Animal Medical center, perhaps also known as the MSPCA, recommends that
each school district establishes an Animal Care and Use Committee to assist teachers,
students and parents in complying with these guidelines. The ACUC can be charged with
reviewing the management of classroom pets, plans for classroom activities involving exotic
animals, and proposed science fair projects. So, for that reason, exotic animals could have a
great performance nowadays and in the future as teaching tools to educate. (330)
Thank you.

Edge forward, we will introduce our third argument, that contributes to the fact that
some exotic animals do perhaps need our help and to be kept as house pets in order to survive.
As a matter of fact, many of them are frequently acquired due to their poor state in the wild
which can cause their extinction. Did you know that there exist over 5,000 tigers in captivity
in the U.S.? That's more than the number of wild tigers around the world. There used to be
over 100,000 tigers living free in the wild, and now only a mere fraction of this amount
remains. That’s pretty startling and gives more reason as to why captive breeding programs
 Santiago Sciaroni, Juani Navasal, Luca Capria, Sofia Borsutzky, Simon Samparizi and Belén
Andreotti

must be established by credible zoos and professionals. This study was performed by the Wild
Worldwide Fund.
It is worldwide known that certain species would not exist nowadays without human
interventions. For instance, the Oryx was hunted until extinction in the 1960s, but luckily,
thanks to a rescue operation led by humans, the population of these species could recover.
Samely as another known case from the Amur leopard, which is among the largest and rarest
cats in the world, has been in danger of extinction for decades. Nowadays, and thanks to
human intervention, 220 Amur leopards are alive and participate in a breeding program to
save the species from its total extinction.
And, if you didn't get it yet, we will state the particular case of Australia. As the
WWF-Australia´s final report notes, the flames on the bushfire in 2019 had a big impact on
animals. The fire damaged about 41,000 of wild koalas on Kangaroo Island, South Australia,
and another 11,000 in the southern state of Victoria. It adds that many of the animals that have
survived the fires could subsequently die due to the lack of food and shelter that result from
the loss of their habitats. For that reason, and only due to the refugee given by protectors, 48
millions of Koalas could survive due to the help of humans, who were led to keep these
animals as pets.
All these facts and situations can lead us to understand that, sometimes, human
intervention is needed in order to prevent the extinction of animals in the wild. Therefore, a
way to carry out this can be keeping them in our homes as pets with the correct and necessary
knowledge to take care of them.
Thank you. (410)

To sum up this topic, we want to summarize the positive effects of having exotic
animals as pets. We talked about the most important information such as the term “exotic”
which had a very broad meaning, therefore leaving behind certain animals. For this argument,
several sources and examples were addressed. Those were the Macmillan dictionary and a
medical veterinary called Artem Cheprasov.
Besides, we talked about how these animals might help for educational purposes; this
means that, at being integrated, new experiences and information can be incorporated and
used to teach in places such as familiar places or homes. We have presented different cases
and statistics that supported this argument, such as the Animal Medical Center and
educational programs called Wild Wonders. It is important to know that as these animals
require special and varied needs, for which educating is perfect for. As Anthony Douglas
Williams said, “We have more to learn from animals than animals have to learn from us”,
which is an explicit quote that explains the valuable and countless messages we can learn
from our relationship with animals.
In our last statement, we talked about how frequently exotic animals are acquired due
to their poor state in the wild that can cost them their extinction. We have analyzed different
situations, such as the 5.000 tigers in captivity, the 15 giant tortoises left on Galapagos, the
Amur leopard, of which only 220 are alive today, and the koalas which were saved from a
fire in South Australia. Those cases can lead us to the conclusion that animals should be kept
as pets with the purpose of preventing their possible extinction in the wild.
 Santiago Sciaroni, Juani Navasal, Luca Capria, Sofia Borsutzky, Simon Samparizi and Belén
Andreotti

However, the vision that people have over exotic animals is due to their particular
characteristics. Regarding this, the community is not fully informed about this topic,
consequently, their imprecise opinions are usually based on stereotypes set by society, such
as, “All exotic animals are dangerous and are unsafe for people”, which we are sure you have
heard at least once in your lifetime.
With all the facts mentioned above, we can say that they have given the reason to
favor groups, supporting the statement which encourages people to own exotic pets. Although
it has its well-recognized disadvantages, owning a exotic pet also counts with many more
valuable and beneficial advantages. Lastly, we would like to finish up this debate by leaving
you with a special quote from Anatole France that will make you think, “Until one has loved
an animal, a part of our souls remains unawakened”

Counter arguemnts:
● Both exotic animals and dogs (who are not considered as exotic animals) can carry the same
diseases/illnesses and can have the same risks. Just as they were both once considered exotic,
the two can have similar health problems and be the same as dangerous.
● You talked about all the negative aspects that some types of owens can have, but what about
the ones that do follow and act correctly? Will you also blame those too?