Things You Should Know About Keeping a Wild Animal Essay Example

Owning an exotic and wild animal, like a wolf-dog or big cat, might be a really cool and fulfilling companion to have. However, it can also be immensely dangerous without the proper education and dedication. The illegal pet trade does not help the case in any way. It gives everyday people easier access to these animals. Many of which are taken from the wild and may not be in good health. Those that are not in good health can be carriers of diseases, like reptiles with salmonella. This then can lead to children getting sick from the lizard they wanted so badly that the parent bought without the proper info. There are many sources online that people can use that have useful information and warnings.

The most common are those posted by conservations and animal welfare advocates. These are also known as “popular articles”, and fall in with news sites, blogs, and other non-peer reviewed sources. “The Dangers of Keeping Exotic Pets” is a well-informed article published by Born Free USA. The article is quite accessible by anyone just looking up exotic pets online. The format of it is very easy to read while still using larger words. There are pictures spread throughout the article to help break up the blocks of text. The various topics within it are sectioned off with the use of headers. The article also has a list of its sources which can be accessed through a link located on a bar right above the title.

Another source of reliable information would be scholarly articles like “Exotic Pets: Health and Safety Issues for Children and Parents” written by Kristine M. Smith, Katherine F. Smith, and Jennifer P. D’Auria. This article was published in 2012 and is still credible since it is within 10 years of 2019. This particular type of article can be found through databases. The format is much more professional with dense blocks of non-indented paragraphs. Unlike a lot of other scholarly sources, this one is not in IMRaD format.

The audience is a big factor to think about when making an informational article or essay. The popular article was meant more for the general public, those who may not know what they want to read specifically. The article’s easy access makes it a good source for anyone who wants to know what some of the risks are for owning an exotic animal. It can also be a good resource for someone who wants to argue their stance on the problem. It's also an article by advocates for advocates.

On the other hand, the scholarly article which is meant for other scholars and sometimes students. The sentence ” Exotic pets may pose the greatest health risk to infants and very young children”(Scholarly cite) can also pique the interest of concerned parents. So, parents who want to know the statistics on animal-borne diseases can also use it. They might want to educate themselves before trying to get an exotic pet.

A shared purpose of the two articles is to inform the reader on their topic. The popular stance has a more argumentative tone. The writer wanted to persuade the reader to consider the dangers and be deterred from getting an exotic animal as a pet. They also want to explain why they are against the illegal pet trade and undedicated pet owners. All of that is done while keeping a professional and formal tone. While the scholarly article shares the purpose, it does so in a more educated tone. 

There is a problem with bias information when looking at an article meant for the general public. This is present when looking at a popular article which has no guidelines or need for professionalism. Born Free USA is quite adamant to show that they are very much against anybody having a non-domestic animal as a pet. However, the scholarly article only warns against the dangers of owning such animals. They are not completely against the ownership of exotic animals unless it is for children.