Laws and freedom.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Perhaps some of you have seen the independent documentary film The Elephant in the Living Room. It is a documentary-type film about exotic animal ownership in the United States. I won't go into the details of the movie, since I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has Netflix and wants to stream it. I will warn you, however, that for certain mileages of people out there, the movie will ruin your day. My personal reactions to elements in the film included: light-headedness, horror, disgust, anger, profound sadness and an indescribable feeling that I don't know what to do with.

About exotic animal ownership: What I find ridiculous about a lot of the lax laws in this country about exotic animals, is that is is harder to bring in fruits, vegetables or grains across the national borders, than it is to find say, a lion. This strikes me as terribly off. Why is it that we have very little issues with protecting our agricultural bio-integrity, but when it comes to freaking lions, it's all "controversial".

Florida is currently the new home of thousands of exotic snakes, destroying, altering and generally screwing up the eco-system. Why? Because evidently we care more about the sanctity of our amber waves of grain than we do our own wildlife, or our own children.

Me, personally, feel that if people insist on keeping exotic animal ownership legal, we should not respond in any way to loose exotic animals. If we want to allow them (whether or not we own them), the next time a lion gets loose, you're on your own. They will get out, they will eat your babies, and we wouldn't spend a dime of public money protecting anyone from logic.

What say you?

Comments

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Well there is that thing that if we were do destroy our "amber waves of grain" it would directly lead to a global food shortage crisis.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

you must understand that to a certain breed of enviromentalists human life and dignity is a secondary concern.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

It is? Is this being said before or after we get done warmongering?

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

And if we introduce invasive predatory species with no resident natural defenses against said predators... oh wait its the same thing!

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

Well of course we care more about amber waves of grain.

The lively hoods of many people, not to mention our food supply are dependant on them.

Some mythical ideal eco-system is small potatoes in comparison.

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

Don't touch our lively hoods, yo!

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Mythical? Um... wat.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

I don't think anyone is talking about an "ideal" ecosystem. Just one that supports us.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

As for the rest, if you have a large, possibly dangerous, animal in your home and do not have a way to exercise "ultimate sanction" than you are a fool and deserve to be eaten.

As for loose exotic animals, try an tell me that introducing lions to the great plains, or roving packs of hyenas to the suburbs of New York wouldn't be good for a laugh.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Aw, and here I thought you were a valiant defender of human life and dignity. It's always a pity when such appeals are so facile and flimsy.

[kayjayuu.livejournal.com]

We already have lions. Just not the African kind, thank you.

[rimpala.livejournal.com]

We already have that in the form of mountain lions and coyotes that populate urban areas. Though I would rather have native species, more natural predators are badly needed in many parts of the united states unless things have changed over the years.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Yesterday, I was at the Hudson River park, not far from the World Trade Center. I noticed a couple walking with a really huge dog, gray, and then it hit me. It was a either a hybrid wolf (mix between wolf and dog) or wolf. EEEeeek.

New York City has some strict requirements for exotic animals, although some stores have live poultry you can get slaughtered there-- I don't know if you can have them on your property for egg laying etc-- there is a big do-it-yourself movement for food production in the city now)

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I heard they have some roof-top beekeeping pushes as well. That's neat stuff.

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

Could it have been a Stark direwolf?



Sigh... I should stop reading books late at night...

[rimpala.livejournal.com]

Wolves aren't really that mean, just very... very different from a domestic dog. A friend of mine once said dogs are really bread to be permanent wolf cubs.

Unfortunately not taking proper care of one would do more harm to the wolf then the person, oh and foxes make bad pets because smell from what I hear.

[houndofloki.livejournal.com]

Random fact (since this post became pretty random, anyway!) There are several breeds of dog that are "designed" to look as much like wolves as possible, so it's very likely the animal you saw in NYC was just a dog. Check em out:

Native American Dog: http://www.breederinfocenter.com/images2/20040212144133_145648_1.jpg
Utonagon: http://img2.findthebest.com/sites/default/files/465/media/images/Utonagan_1.jpg
Tamaskan: http://www.fanattic.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/tamaskan.jpg
And just for cutes! Baby tamaskan: http://www.rightpuppykennel.com/images/gallery/133/image072.jpg

Regular old german shepherd/husky mixes can come out looking very wolfy, too. Most of the "wolf hybrids" people plunk down 2k for from places like Michigan and Minnesota are actually just some combination of shepherd and husky with no or very little actual wolf blood, sold by some clever but unscrupulous entreprenuer who is laughing all the way to the bank on hipsters wolf love.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Wolves are not as large as the largest domesticated dogs. I know a guy with a half-breed wolf. It is pretty docile.

[rimpala.livejournal.com]

It is a shame that exotic snakes are taking over the 'glades here.

Keep in mind that introducing exotic species can cause long term effects on our food production as well. And many exotics pets out there can, like, kill their owners.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

I will reserve comment until I watch the documentary, but I suspect this is serious trigger material. Thanks for the head up on it.

I has feelings about such things. Men in helicopters shoot Rhinos. We kill without even noticing. Its an apocalypse of animals everywhere you look.

[rimpala.livejournal.com]

Something I'm struggling with this whole post is that... yeah... humans can probably survive while certain species are crowded out of existence. But I can't be the only one here that would be sad to see, like say... the native mountain lions or Florida panthers go extinct thanks to someone just having to have an exotic, African lion as a pet they can't take care of.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

All I can say to this is "And now you're John Hammond."

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

In most jurisdiction one has to license dogs and cats. I don't see why this cannot be extended to all animals. Getting a license for, say, a lion can me made more strict just like a pilot's license is more strict than a driver's license. Owners of dangerous animals should also be required to keep a bond or insurance.

If the regulators aren't doing their job because they're underfunded, then simply collect enough in fees from licensees to cover it.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I encountered a woman walking a pet cougar on the streets of Montreal. It was quite an experience. Since the beast was on a leash, it did not scare me as much as encountering a cougar in the wilds of California. My sister in Ohio has a pet ferret, an animal that cannot be owned legally in California. It is a sweet, cuddly little thing. She does not have problems with rodents.