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I was struggling with
choosing a topic for this post. I wanted my presentation to be at least a bit
amusing, and I couldn’t skip the educational part of it as well!
Lately I have been thinking of getting a dog, a French bulldog to be precise. It is a wonderful animal; still, not an esthetically obvious choice. It’s one of those phenomena that usually people are either passionate about, or are completely repulsed by them.
Lately I have been thinking of getting a dog, a French bulldog to be precise. It is a wonderful animal; still, not an esthetically obvious choice. It’s one of those phenomena that usually people are either passionate about, or are completely repulsed by them.
I think this dog breed is just adorable and
exceptional!
I’ve been browsing through the internet for more information about these dogs when
I’ve been browsing through the internet for more information about these dogs when
I started digging deeper into the world of domesticated animals,
discovering more and more unusual species that people tend to keep at home –
and that gave me the idea for this presentation.
Skunks
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| http://parade.condenast.com/274632/jonathanhorowitz/the-daily-cute-follow-your-nose-to-skunks-thursday/ |
Skunks are often
associated with the extremely repulsive odor they give off in their defense.
You might find it interesting that baby skunks are very often adopted by people
(or simply – taken from their parents and from their natural environment). In
order to make them more friendly and ‘socially acceptable’, most of these
animals have their scent glands surgically removed.
Tigers and other wild cats
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| http://joemonster.org/art/13290 |
Keeping tigers seems
ridiculous. Having a wild predator cat at home might seem dangerous, and it is
dangerous indeed. It is ironically not illegal to keep an animal like that,
even though they are probably in the top of the list of most deadly animals
existing.
An interesting fact – there are only 3500 tigers living free in the wilderness. In only the USA there are kept around 10 000 of these pets…
An interesting fact – there are only 3500 tigers living free in the wilderness. In only the USA there are kept around 10 000 of these pets…
Alligators and crocodiles
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| http://matadornetwork.com/life/photo-essay-15-unusual-pets-that-could-be-yours/ |
Keeping a little
alligator turned out to be very trendy. Bring up a scaly little fella like that
and you will never call him a reptilian!
Unfortunately these animals are extremely whimsical, so if you don’t care about losing
Unfortunately these animals are extremely whimsical, so if you don’t care about losing
a limb or two – get
yourself an alligator!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgzyoP_GMag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgzyoP_GMag
Zebras
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| http://eldope.tumblr.com/ |
You can get a zebra for only 4000$ if you think horses are not cool enough.
They actually are very similar to their more popular cousins, both in behavior
and their needs. With a lot of patience, there is even a possibility you will
be able to convince your new striped friend to let you ride him.
Getting a zebra is not going to be that easy if you live in the UK though. You need to prove you have the right facilities and the knowledge necessary to keep and handle it safely – both for you and for the animal.
Getting a zebra is not going to be that easy if you live in the UK though. You need to prove you have the right facilities and the knowledge necessary to keep and handle it safely – both for you and for the animal.
Alpacas
 |
| http://alligator-sunglasses.com/post/14728889432/check-out-my-pet-alpaca |
Alpacas are the smaller relatives of llamas and camels. Actually, they look like the hybrid of a llama and a poodle. They are mainly bred for their wool, which makes a very popular textile. Alpacas originate from South America, Peru being probably the country most often associated with these animals. You can purchase an alpaca in Poland if you wish, and it is not as difficult as it might seem. Let’s take allegro.pl portal as an example: there are several auctions that let you buy an alpaca for around 6500zł.
’These animals are not very needy. They spend the night in a wooden croft, during the day they walk around the garden. They eat the same things as cows’ – says an alpaca owner. – ‘They like dry bread, but they will eat whatever you give them. Alpacas are very friendly, they play along with the cat. They do not get on well with the dog though…’
More and more weird
animals are kept at home, and I personally think the place for most of them is
in the wilderness. I do not support domesticating animals that are not
naturally prepared to live with people, who might suffer because of living on
small and limited and restricted areas.
Sources:
Ania, like you I think that the French bulldogs are adorable. I also think that the Pugs have a lot of charm. If I could choose for myself a dog of any breed, for sure it would be a "royal" dog (I wrote “royal” because it is favourite breed of Queen Elizabeth) – Cardigan Corgi Pembroke or Cardigan Corgi Welsh (Pembroke does not have a tail and Welsh has a long and fluffy tail).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.animalplanet.com/breed-selector/dog-breeds/herding/cardigan-welsh-corgi.html
But this is only a fantasy, because in reality, if I ever have a dog, I am convinced that I will find an ideal pet in animal shelter :-)
And as for the topic of presentation: in my opinion, keeping at home the animals whose destiny is to live in freedom, is irresponsible and unacceptable. Of course there are cases when animals are rejected from their troops and they cannot live in their natural environment. In such cases the only solution for them is people’s help. But reproducing and selling wild animals to be pets - for me it is stupidity and cruelty.
And here is a very sad example, that even if it seems to us, that the wild animals are gentle and domesticated, we can never be sure what might happen:
http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/fatal-attractions/videos/travis-the-chimp-attacks-owner.htm
I also like corgis, mostly because of the wonderful way they jump:
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glii-kazad8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdcuwCmnUlk
:)
Adopting a dog from a pet shelter is probably the right way to do and I'm still considering this option.
Quite a funny topic for a presentation. :-) To be honest, to me people who decide to keep wild animals at home seem to be crazy. I cannot imagine what kind of fun one may have keeping such creatures in one's own house or apartment. I understand people who love wild animals and find pleasure in taking care of them. However, my view is that a better option would be to work (e.g. part time) in a zoo or, from time to time, go for a trip to a region where such animals live. I believe that having an animal equals to taking the responsibility for it - for our pet's health and comfort of living. I don't believe that a garden is a good place for a zebra or a couch for a wild cat. It is not the natural environment for them, and keeping animals in such conditins may even lead them to serious health problems. Moreover, I cannot imagine that our animal friend could be happy living in such unnatural conditions. To sum up, if you need to have an animal friend, I highly recommend choosing a dog, a cat or a hamster. :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely, and as I wrote in my post, the biggest problem is that most of those wild animals don't have the necessary conditions and space in an avarage-size house or flat.
DeleteInteresting topic for presentation indeed !
ReplyDeleteI partly agree with previous comments that keeping wild animals at home is a bit stupid, not mentioning obvious risks connected to that.
But in the same time we often forget how cruel wild life is. Lots of animals that could have lived die in wild life. Moreover, humans are destroying animals natural area of living, forcing a lot of species to migrate, adapt and die. At least by taking those animals to home, people give them a chance to live a bit longer.
You're right - I haven't thought about such cases. I think this is the only argument for keeping wild animals at home (when they would die in their natural environment).
DeleteDaniel, but this is how world works. Without it we still could have dinosaurs and living in caves instead of houses. Some things are going forward, some are just eliminated by the stronger. Nature is not fair but it doesn't convince me to buy myself an alligator. Even if they would have become extinct.
Deleteyeah , I absolutely agree. That's why let wild animals at home eat those stupid people who brought them there :)
DeleteI think there is no excuse for keeping of wild animals in homes in addition to places specially prepared like the Zoo
DeleteI can not agree with this opinion for one reason: there are people and institutions in probably every country, that still take care of wild species. They usually know most of the animals living in their area, have each particular herd member listed and take care of them when they need their help. Especially, when it comes to saving an endangered species.
DeleteI think that taking animals from their natural environment, even if might save the life of one particular specimen, may in general lead to disruption of the whole ecosystem.
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\outl0\strokewidth0 \strokec2 Nice topic ;) \
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For me people who keep wild animals at home are: 1) crazy 2) stupid or 3) have no imagination. It is really hard to obtain good contitions to keep the dog, the place for running is needed, good food quality, vet etc. Moreover time is needed, because the dog can get crazy. \
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We have two cat's and these are wild enough - there is really a lot of work with them and I can't imagine to have an animal which needs more attention then these two. }
As usually - I think you're right Iza! But no matter if people are stupid, crazy or have no imagination it's terrible and not acceptable that animals are treated in this way.
DeleteWhen I started to read your article, I thought: It's gonna be such adorable topic! How wrong I was...
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that people have such animals at home...It terrifies me. I totally agree with you - the place for this animals is definitely NOT at home.
Thank you for this presentation, you reminded me how stupid people can be.
Sometimes dogs or cats known in our culture as home pets are kept in conditions that are below any acceptable level... but ZEBRA?! Tiger - that's different. Such sweet, little kitty... ;)
Thank you for your comment, I'm glad that you found it interesting!
DeleteI share the opinion that if we’re deciding to adopt a living being, we should provide it with the best upbringing conditions we could afford. I’m fully supporting the idea that WILD animals should live in their own, natural environment, but if it’s not possible, we should take our best to offer them a proper substitute. If the animal wasn’t born in the wild, it’s treated according to needs (enough space, proper diet) I don’t mind that people are keeping those at their farms etc. (There are so many animals that look so happy with their owners)! Even the situation presented here (BTW I really recommend this comic – he’s great):
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/ccnwzScp6bM?t=18m28s
shows that the prince has his own zoo. We can discuss wheatear he treats them as toys or not, but they seems to have good living conditions. Sometimes they’re better than those in wilderness. And I really DO NOT recommend adopting brain-damaged horse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL37RDS2Qiw
Thanks for the comment, and also for the links - they are funny indeed :)
DeleteOf course wild animals sometimes have very good conditions to live, but even if the cage for trained falcons is huge, they're still trained falcons and they live in a cage.
I don’t really know what to write about this topic. Human behavior surprised me. Unusual pets such as tigers, lions, foxes, bears and even piranhas are people figment especially those who have enough going for a walk with dog or play with domestic cat.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that hold at home, in bed, instead of a small cat, huge tiger is safe. For both human and pet. Actually, I'm sure it’s not... Tigers and other wild ideas as a home pet like for example zebra or lion, retains wild instinct. This can have tragic consequences for both sides.
Nor will I conceal that once I wanted to have a monkey, but I realized that this isn't the environment for such animals. I own a tiger, maybe not so big and dangerous but equally charming. My domestic cat is really huge ;)
It's an interesting topic form me because I adopted a skunk named Portos 8 years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe story goes like this: I was in the ZOO and they kept him in a very small cage so I decided to take him with me.Today, he lives in my basement and he's an old happy skunk.
Funny thing is that after all of these years having him home I see nothing unusual about getting skunk.
One day Portos went for a walk around the town and people’s reactions reminded me that having skunk might be strange for others. He even became a celebrity.
the articles below:
http://www.se.pl/archiwum/skunks-mieszka-na-bemowie_107718.html
http://www.zw.com.pl/artykul/395280.html
Pictures
http://imgur.com/BWTX1xC&drRuS6s#1
In my mother's neighborhood (she lives in Warsaw in Mokotów district) there is a man, who can be met daily on a walk with his pig. It is said, that pigs are even better to keep as home pets then dogs - apparently they are cleaner and smarter.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion both - keeping a pig, as well as keeping a big dog in an apartament in a city is equally stupid and irresponsible.
I didn't know that people have such a stupid ideas to keep wild animals at home. In my opinion this is brutal.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, I love pets and I cannot image my life without them.
A short time ago I also thought about buying or adopting some animal. I rent one-room flat and everyday I spend so much time outside, hence I cannot have dog. Therefore I considered to buy gold fish, but seller of pet shop told me that they live twice time longer in the wild. Then I have started reading about shortering of animals life by keeping them at home.
Finally I adopted rabbit. To my mind this is the lesser evil. I tried to give him everything what he may have in the wild.
I think that people shouldn't keep wild animals in homes, because de facto they harm them.
I LOVE HEDGEHOGS! I would love to buy one and take care of it ( I've heard that they are very fragile and demanding little buddies ) I would buy any dangerous animal ( I wouldn't see it dangerous but other people would find my alligator or lion aggressive towards them ) ;)
ReplyDeleteMy domestic animal is a cat. I have big furry black male cat. I always liked cats and even though I am allergic to their fur, so got one as soon as I moved out from my parents home... They didn’t allow any pets at home ...and to be honest now I know why ;)
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by all the kinds of animals people are keeping at home. They probably have conditions. I have to admit I’d rather decide on having a cat leaving in a house with a garden – not in a flat in Warsaw. When I look at my bored cat I think it was selfish to decide to keep it in a flat... So, I will probably sound like my mother now, but even if you can have a zebra only for 4 K$, people should probably ask themselves: “Will my zebra be happy with me”. UK regulations are very reasonable! :)
Domesticating wild animals is crazy because of the ter, m "wild" alone. I'd rather have a little tiger lookalike cat, like Toyger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGfftjzoveo) or Bengal Cat (which also has some dog-like behaviours).
ReplyDeletePeople holding these animals in the house just because they want to be original. According to me, every animal can be domesticated. Cats dogs cows also were once wild, currently we do not see them in their natural habitat. It is possible that we are simply not accustomed to seeing wild animals in the house.
ReplyDeleteI do not think we should evaluate whether any animal may be kept at home. This assessment should be the same animals or in this place to feel comfortable.
I have not heard about that in US are more Tigers than in wilderness. This info just blow my mind! What is wrong with this world?! Why people keep thus animals in homes as pets instead helping to create a better place for thus animals to live in wilderness. This is really sic!
ReplyDeleteI like dogs, even half wolves but not true wolf or any other wild animal as a pet. I think that animals not domesticated are feeling not good being someones pet.
I hope thous people who keep wild animals will go and buy some oil and put it to their brains!
Yes. People should choose only animals which natural environment is humans home. Like...a cat. And only cat. That one son of the...cat is so lazy that they just don't care where they are. The forest is the same as a carpet as far as they are concerned. They just want to eat, sleep, do some pushups on the cupboard, fall of it on your head, eat, sleep ..and so on. Yes. They are awesome. The most stupid awesomeness in animal world. The Cat.
ReplyDeleteI have got alot of friends that has a spiders and even if the black widow is not legal in Poland, they still have it :-) I don't really have any pet but I will have a dog in a near future lol. In the past I had a hamsters and obviously dogs That's all from me I guess, I would like to add just a little thing, I am not really a big fan of having a pet or some critter because I don't feel responsible enough at the moment to take care of an animal :-)
ReplyDelete"I have got alot of friends that has a spiders and even if the black widow is not legal in Poland, they still have it :-)" - Grzegorz you should report a crime immediately
ReplyDeleteI think that people who decide to keep a wild animal in their home can hurt not only themselves but also the animal.
ReplyDeleteNobody is able to provide at home conditions which are the same as in the wild world.
People think that keeping wild animals at home is better but it is very misleading.
There are cases that dogs hurt people...it's better not to talk what wild animals can do.
In addition, wild animals will never be as friendly as dogs and cats
When it comes to dogs in the future I would like to have a Husky:)
Every wild animal deserves to live in the appropriate conditions. If there are some maniacs, who want to take them in the house, they should be able to give them everything they need. But I wish this kind of animal lovers are only a minority. I really love alpakas. They are so cute... but their place to live is rather farm than big city. This photo, when man is walking an alpaka makes me sad.
ReplyDelete