Hey guys! Okay, so this is going to have a different topic. It's not really related to Wattpad or me, but it's actually sort of a rant? Please, do not be offended by this at all.

Okay, so I get that pets can serve as companions and they can help with different things, such as being service pets for the blind and disabled. Or, you can just want to take care of an animal and have one by your side..like a Pokemon! I personally wouldn't have one because I don't want to take care of an animal and I haven't had the best experience with pets, but I'll tell you about those in a separate chapter.

I do love the idea of rescuing animals from different rescue centers and providing different cats and dogs with loving homes where they will be greatly taken care of. But what I don't like is taking animals out of their homes in the wild and using them as pets or entertainment.

I think it's good when they take animals out of the wild because they face the threat of poachers and they're endangered and all. That's why I like zoos that do that. But I don't like places such as Seaworld and circuses that take orcas and other animals out of the wild and damage their health just so they can perform tricks for us. They literally end up killing them just so they can make money off of them. I find that just absolutely disgusting.

But the topic of this chapter is about servals. Servals are wild exotic cats found in Africa. They look almost like a fennec fox and a cheetah mixed together. They're extremely beautiful and I love them so much. I love looking through pictures of them, and they're one of my favorite animals to see when I go to the zoo. Today, I got the idea to look at pictures of baby servals. And I saw tons of links and questions such as "Servals as pets", "Servals for sale", and "Can you keep a serval as a pet?"

I was dumbfounded at this because obviously these majestic creatures are wild animals and couldn't possibly be available for sale, right? Wrong. I started to do some research and found that servals, along with other exotic cats, ARE for sale. They sell for prices such as 15,000 dollars. I even saw pictures of people with servals in their HOMES.

Here's my opinion, and I have done some research to back it up. These servals should NOT be pets. Are you kidding? You have an abundance of dogs and cats that NEED homes and you have to go and take an animal from out in the wild just because you need a pet that's different? Some countries (such as where I am, the U.S) prohibit the ownership of a serval, but some don't, and that's why servals are kept as pets.

Think about the serval. It has a beautiful home back in Africa, land as far as the eye can see. Why would it want to be snatched up and kept in a small home? And even if you have land at your house, that is nothing compared to Africa. I just think if you want a pet, go to a rescue center and pick up a puppy or a kitty that desperately NEEDS a family and NEEDS a home.

I'm not saying that people that want or have servals are evil and hate the animal at all. They might want to take care of the animal and give it a good home. But this animal doesn't NEED a home. It's in Africa, it's population is stable, and this cat fares better in the wild, NOT when it's domesticated. There are actually several links that go against having a serval.

https://www.petful.com/cat-breeds/should-i-get-serval-cat-risks/

This link shows the risks of having a serval as a pet. The list goes on and on with reasons on why NOT to have a serval. The header (I think?) of the site even says:

"Serval cats are domesticated in some households, but they are still wild animals."

Also, if you go down to the end of the site, it says this:

"There are many reasons you should reconsider buying a serval. At the end of the day, this is still a wild animal. While some can be affectionate, they don't do well with changing owners and need space to fulfill their natural instincts. Don't confuse space with efficiency; just because you have multiple acres doesn't mean you can just drop a serval onto the property and he will fend for himself.

There are so many cats and other animals waiting for homes in shelters and rescues across the country and the world, so consider giving one of them a home before taking the risks explained above. If you just adore servals and need an exotic cat fix, visit your local zoo or a large cat rescue."

I whole-heartedly agree with this site! I say that if you love servals as much as I do, go to the zoo to see them or look at pictures of them on the internet.

Also, the San Diego Zoo backs up my argument as well. It says here at this link (http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/serval):

  "Some people think it would be fun to own a wild or exotic cat. This has led to a serval hybrid called the "savanna cat," a captive-raised serval bred with a domestic cat. Wild animals, even those born in zoos, keep their wild instincts for hundreds, even thousands, of years, so these cats do NOT make good pets. Special permits are required for trained experts or zoos to own or house wild servals, and it is against the law in some states to own savanna cats. "

Now, you might be saying "But the zoo takes servals out of their homes and puts them in smaller spaces!" Well that's because, get this, some species of servals are ENDANGERED! So why in the world would you take a serval, not even give it a GOOD home (because in the zoo, they try to recreate the habitats of the serval and they give it proper nutrition and food because they're experts and actually know what they're doing) and for what? So you can have another pet? 

Now, the whole rant is over! I feel very strongly about animals and creation, so this is something I was very passionate about going against. Once again, this was certainly NOT meant to offend anyone! I was just giving my opinion on this whole matter. Do some of you guys agree with me? Let me know in the comments! Also, Imaginary Friend should be updated..soon. I'm sorry!

I'll be posting more stories on here probably today (including the one story about my pet experiances.) Thanks for reading! Stay kawaii and bye for now!