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| Photograph taken by David Burke |
For years, Canada has banned the ownership of many different types of animals, including the animal depicted in the photograph attached to this blog -- a fennec fox, an animal that is native to North Africa. In British Columbia, it's known as a "Controlled Alien Species" -- in other words, an animal illegal to own in that province. It's in a provincial listing of all mammals considered as "Controlled Alien Species", and so far, B.C. is the most strict when it comes to exotic animal ownership. Meanwhile, other provinces are more lenient towards handing out permits instead, and one thing to note is that animal ownership is handled on a provincial level, not on a federal level with some exceptions (such as migratory birds). So what makes exotic animals like this fox illegal to own throughout Canada regardless? Is it a risk to public safety? Would that animal suddenly become a hindrance on the Canadian government if it were ever made legal to own one? Or how about this:
Is it because that animal would be treated inhumanely by their owners?
An online discussion, centered around the ownership of exotic pets in the United States, sparked a responder by the name of Gillian Schifreen to speak about a pair of emus that she keeps on a privately owned pasture. She shares how emus in the wild "live to about 12 [years old]", and can live more than double that lifespan in captivity. Assuming that this woman's pasture is large enough to hold a pair of emus, where they could roam and graze as naturally as they would in the wild, this would be about as normal as owning cattle in a similar manner. Why? Because those emus are in an environment that's both contained and naturally suitable. A natural habitat for a pig should be a forest, and yet we cram them together in a factory slaughterhouse only to be served their ribs at a restaurant. The irony is that the potentially illegal emus are in an environment more free than a crammed pen for legally-kept pigs, and yet, there are outcries that keeping an emu in a pasture is somehow on the same ethical level as cramming pigs in a slaughterhouse.
Forget United States regulations; how are Canada's current laws? When it comes to provincial regulation, are they actually enforcing the laws? Are those laws enough? By an opinion from a UBC blog post, it might never be. Some animals are so small that authorities would never notice them even existing in a home. For larger animals, they also have the potential to go under the radar if the owner lives in a rural setting, where neighbors are separated by massive distances. Even if an exotic animal is reported, a wildlife officer cannot enter a home without approval, whether that be from owner consent or by warrant. If anything, as according to the unnamed pet owner mentioned in the blog, it would all go underground. And it already has -- by raking in $205 billion annually in black market dealings as of 2018, cited from a CBC report written from that same year. This number also includes the sale of animal parts.
By legalizing exotic animals, it would save billions of dollars in resources. So long as the owners are taking care of the animals in a safe and controlled environment, whether it be a pasture for an emu, a terrarium for an iguana, or an aquarium for a piranha, there is no fear needed.
Search Engine Optimization for Title
"Exotic" was selected in the title due to its association with the name "Joe Exotic", a name commonly mentioned in the highly anticipated upcoming Netflix documentary "Tiger King 2", a follow-up of the first film of the same name. "Pets", especially towards the fall and winter, is looked up more often due to people tending to have higher feelings of loneliness, causing people to search for pets online as a result. "Canada" is a rather generic term that's commonly looked up, and "Legalizing" obviously has its implication towards people wanting to research several things regarding "Legalizing", especially when it comes to law.
I think you you took on a very difficult topic and did a good job of summarizing it. Stronger sources would have given you a stronger argument.
ReplyDeleteA job well done, Kyron! The way in which you talk about Canada's history in terms of exotic animals helps the reader understand the overall gist of your blog post as it provides context. The question you ask in the middle of your blog post works well and let's the reader think, reflect, and take in everything you've stated thus far. I'd be interested to see if the way in which you formatted your blog would make it easier to follow/read as you have a lot of information. Overall, you've written a very informative blog post!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your writing on this difficult topic which is not common and you wrote on this topic which is really mind blowing. However, I like which image you took for this blog.
ReplyDeleteYour blog was very good with solid arguements. The only thing I would change is the article from quora as it isn't a very credible source. Apart from that, it was a great read.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post! You covered your topic with interesting points to keep the reader engaged. I liked the comparison between the emus in an open pasture (illegal) versus the cramped pig slaughter house (legal). I do think the paragraphs could be separated a bit to split up the information a bit, but otherwise your post is very well done!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very well written blog. You did a great job explaining a topic that doesn't get talked about much. Your sources were integrated well. Great read!
ReplyDeleteI like how you made strong arguments over a topic which is uncommon and has many supporting articles instead of arguments. It can be improved by adding more creditable resources such as REXANO website.
ReplyDelete