Animals... my reason for living...
By Victoria Phillips
24 Sep 2008
I have always been an animal lover. I believe we were put on this earth to care for the flora and fauna of the planet, not to destroy it as we do. Animals do not live in the same reality as humans, for they cannot question their existence, and they do not quite understand the world like we do. Only humans have the power to make this planet great - for ourselves, and the animals that live here too. There is now
a very fine line between endangered and extinct for many animals in our world. They deserve & require our care and understanding to survive in this harsh, ever-expanding time we live in. We are destroying their habitats and wiping out a new species every day. Whenever I see a stray animal on my porch, I don't shoo it away, I feed it, even with the common knowledge that it will come back for more. For it may not have many options to find food elsewhere aside from killing another animal for food. I have collected
7 or more cats this way, and a couple of dogs. I could not imagine living without pets, and for that matter, I cannot imagine living without a zoo's worth of pets surrounding me, thanks to my 'uncle' Johnny. And it all started with a snake.
One day, I was out back tending to some yard work, when I found an orange, red, and white snake in my back yard. I wasn't sure what kind of snake it was, and I had heard that the guy across the street from me kept snakes. So I decided to go over and ask him if he knew what kind of snake I had caught (for all I knew, it was a venomous [not poisonous] snake). Come to find out, Mr. Johnny was a herpetologist, or an expert in the field of reptiles. He told me that I had found a corn snake... a.k.a. red rat snake. She was actually an albino Oketee corn from Oketee, SC. Obviously she was someone's pet, but not one of Johnny's.
We quickly became great friends, and I learned that day that Mr. Johnny was a collector of sorts. In his home, he had big snakes, little snakes, big & little lizards, fish, turtles, birds, chinchillas, rats, cats, dogs & rabbits. I was inspired to take up the hobby of reptile collecting myself. Several months later, I had more pets than Johnny did. We would sometimes go out "snake hunting" and catch indigenous animals to keep as pets.
I even got the pleasure of experiencing a rat farm firsthand (gotta get snake food somewhere). For a short time, I kept a coral snake, just for the experience of having a venomous snake. I never did pick him up, though. Common sense. I did get bitten by some of my other pets in the duration of my collecting, for if it has a mouth, it can bite. I got to the point where I could literally predict what my pets were gonna do, lessening the chances of getting bitten.
I have learned a lot in my years of collecting, and if there is one piece of advice I could give to anyone wanting to get an exotic pet, it is that you should research that animal & learn everything there is to know about it before you actually acquire it. Many reptiles require special diets, lighting, heat, and food supplements to keep healthy. You may not want a snake or lizard that is aggressive by nature or gets very large. Some you may need a permit to keep as a pet. You should never release a pet that is not indigenous to the area, for it may endanger other species that inhabit the area. Plus it is illegal in most parts to release pets into the wild.
Having a large number of pets may not be for everyone, as it is a lot of work & time consuming to care for a lot of animals.
I have tried breeding some of my pets, and currently have a few pets that have hatched out of eggs that some of my other pets have lain. I don't breed for profit, though, mostly due to space limitations and moral reasons. Don't breed or buy while sheltered pets die. You can find some exotic animals at your local humane society or through classified ads for much cheaper than you would find at a pet store. There are also reptile expos a couple times a year, in which many breeders come together to sell pets at either a discount or extreme markup for new color morphs. If anything, it is worth going just to see a bunch of animals you never knew existed.
Animal abuse of any kind should not be tolerated in our society, for they cannot always defend themselves.
Fear is just another form of ignorance, so before you kill, educate yourself. For the animal you kill may be some
baby's mother.
8 responses
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! ...Sito Alvina said (3 Oct 2008):
you go girl ! i respect animal lovers worldwide . I too am an animal owner ( i have a kitty ) and we love him to death =) ... keep on ! keep on !
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Darya Sipyeykina said (3 Oct 2008):
Great essay, I hope there are more people like you who can spread the word about how "Only humans have the power to make this planet great - for ourselves, and the animals that live here too. " Inspiring and you are already making a difference for making people think and acknowledge these issues! I agree keep it on!
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Logan Elward said (3 Oct 2008):
Nice essay. I agree with a lot of it. :) That was really interesting.
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Bruce Lessard said (4 Oct 2008):
This essay obviously expressed your love of animals big and small and im inspired to take more pictures of animals we dont encounter on a daily basis
I just wanted to say too that we must also be careful not to take a snake or creature from its natural environment unless its to help it survive -
Gemma Early said (5 Oct 2008):
Wow, wonderful essay - you've really explored such an interesting topic. I'm a big lover of animals so I agree with most of what you have said. :)
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Daniel Go said (5 Oct 2008):
Well written :)
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Talon gave props (27 Oct 2008):
As an animal lover, I appreciate the passion with which you express yourself here.
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Joerg Schlagheck gave props (27 Nov 2008):
Great story and pictures! I can really relate! My vote!
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