After a recent viewing of a documentary titled “The
Elephant in the Living Room” I have discovered a major problem in the United
States. This problem doesn’t surprise me, but what does surprise me is the fact
there aren’t a lot of regulations on the problem. This issue is illegal animal
trafficking as well as the ownership of those illegal animals.
Animal
trafficking is prevalent in many nations, but once the animals
get here from those other countries they are here to stay (BornFree).
These animals include: monkeys, lions, tigers, reptiles,
spiders, and other non-native species to North America. These animals do not
belong in the United States, yet they are here and they pose a threat to the
native species and humans when released.
The animals from the other countries are sold at auctions,
private sales, and in public forums. These animals are easily bought, but not
easily taken care of and when they lose the cuteness factor or become too
difficult to handle the animals release them. This is where the problem begins.
The release of the animals proposes a threat to the animal
and to the human life in the surrounding areas. This could cause injury or
death to not only humans but to the animals. Laws about these issues are scarce
and allow people to release and harm the well being of all.
In 2011, in the state of Ohio, a case of exotic animals
being released occurred. It caused threat to the surrounding areas and caused a
hunt. These animals were hunted and 49 of the 56 animals that were released
were killed for safety reasons (Corbin).
The laws on the ownership of these animals are not strict.
In several states you can own these pets with the proper paperwork but in other
states you don't need training or paper work to own them (Pacelle).
In the picture below the states that are blue ban most
wildlife as pets, the states that green ban some species that are considered
dangerous but allows others, the states that are yellow do not ban exotic
animals but require paper work, and the states that are red have no regulation
on the ownership of exotic animals.
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| Image courtesy of Google Images |
The lack of regulation provides a problem in society. When
people see stars like Steve Erwin or even his daughter Bindi interact with
these animals they think nothing about the danger that they could present.
These animals are not only dangerous to own but they also
carry diseases. Not only do some carry diseases but also most if not all of the
reptiles that are imported are poisonous (Beecken).
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| Image Courtesy of Inforgraphics.com |
The lack of regulation along with
the lack of education on what the owner is actually purchasing provides a
problem to America. Because of the allowance of ownership of these animals the
threat of a tiger roaming through the backyard or a python in the bed is not
uncommon.
Regulations must be done for not only the safety of humans
but the safety of the animals as well. If you still believe that the ownership
of exotic animals should be allowed then maybe you should think to
yourself “Do you want Africa in your backyard?"
Works Cited
Beecken, Stephanie. "What Exotic Animals Are Legal to
Own in Tennessee?" What Exotic Animals Are Legal to Own in
Tennessee? WATE, 8 Nov. 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
Corbin, Cristina. "Police Say All Escaped Exotic
Animals Accounted For, Diseased Monkey Likely Eaten." Fox News.
FOX News Network, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
"Get The Facts:." The Dangers of Keeping
Exotic “Pets”. Born Free USA, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Pacelle, Wayne. "Urgent Calls for Stronger Rules on
Exotic Animals - Wayne Pacelle: A Humane Nation." Wayne Pacelle: A
Humane Nation. N.p., 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Before I get into the rhetorical analysis of this article I'd like to first say that the flow and language presented in this article was very effective. I did not struggle getting through the article whatsoever, which for a public audience is very important.
ReplyDeleteOne of the strongest rhetorical appeals used in this article is the use of logos. The diagrams displayed in the Image Courtesy of Inforgraphics.com display many effective facts that contribute directly to the claim. This helped me grasp accurate information the better informed me of the argument you are trying to make. In addition, the facts also serve as a use of pathos. A majority of the facts used throughout the article were directed towards human consequence. This affected how i interpreted the facts. If these facts were solely focused on the animals they would not affect me as much as they did when they were directed towards how the animals threatened the humans. This was very effective and successful.
I believe that this article is successful as an argument of evaluation of the current exotic animal laws.
A suggestion i have that would further aid your persuasion would be to include specific regulations. Throughout your essay you argue that a lack of regulations is an issue. If this is so, then provide us with some specif regulations that would protect these animals as well as humans.
First off, I love your title. I think it is very appropriate to your article. I think your strongest appeals is your use of logos. You made it very clear you understood what you were talking about when you described the problems with no animals regulations and it was also shown through your explanations of graphs. I liked that you did not use any quotes and understood the articles enough to paraphrase. You included many sourced and through this the audience could tell you were well researched. This also added to your appeal of ethos and your own credibility. From reading your article I could tell you felt passionately about your topic through your tone. Your rhetorical purpose was to inform a wide range of people. This was at the level of fact. I think your blog was a great example of that. While people could perceive this as a policy you are providing evidence to support the claim that there needs to be exotic animal laws, not what kind or how many. One suggestion I have is to change the audience. This article has great information but the amount of information was written more for an op-ed. Overall this piece has great information for a topic I was not well aware of. Good work!
ReplyDeleteCharlene, from reading your blog, I could easily tell that you are well-educated on this subject. You are passionate and seem to have read-up very well on things pertaining to animal trafficking. You most appealed to logos, considering all of the links and in-text citations you used. Along with this point, you explained each piece of media you used very well. This further showed your passion and dedication, which in turn, well exhibited your credibility. The next rhetorical strategy you used very well was ethos. You show that you care about both animals and humans, which displays your want for justice on this issue while respecting your audience. You were extremely effective in constructing a factual argument. You weren't scared to stand up for the animals and you used several facts to back this up. I applaud this amazing effort! The only place I found room for improvement was in your last statement. As an animal lover, having Africa in my backyard wouldn't bother me that much. Aside from all of the risks, owning an exotic pet would really interest me. Especially for the portion of your audience who may own exotic pets, this statement could come across as somewhat ineffective. Instead of saying that, perhaps you could say something that stresses the importance of keeping Africa alive. Other than that, I really thought your blog was effective. People should be aware of the risks that come with owning an exotic pet.
ReplyDelete