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当你某日去美国旅游，看到街上或是林间小道上有人牵着一只小老虎在遛弯，请不要大惊小怪!因为养大型猫科动物当宠物，在美国已经不是什么稀罕事了。虽然这看起来很酷，但是我们需要思考一些问题：对人类来说，养野生动物当宠物是否安全?对动物来说，这又是否真的是它们的福音? Florida teen Felicia Frisco loves her cat, Will. She cuddles[1] with him, plays with him, and feeds him. Until his first birthday, Will slept with Felicia every night. It sounds like Felicia has a typical cat, right? Not quite. For one thing, he’s enormous[2]. When fully grown, he’ll weigh around 500 pounds (226 kilogram). Will is a Bengal tiger[3]. Cute but Deadly Six in 10 Americans own some type of pet — a dog, a cat, or maybe a hamster[4]. Such animals are “domesticated,” meaning that, over time, their species has been bred to live among humans.[5] Will, however, is an “exotic[6] pet,” that is, a wild animal. According to some estimates, as many as 18 million Americans own exotic pets, from iguanas to monkeys to kangaroos.[7] Why would you want to own a wild animal — especially one that could eat you? There are lots of reasons. Owning an exotic pet can be a way to express your personality. For some, these pets are status symbols — a way to show off.[8] | 
