13 Deadliest Animals People Dare to Keep as Pets
Every year, up to 50 Americans lose their lives from exotic pets they own as household animals. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine released research to back this statement.
Extreme animal lovers choose to share their homes with both poisonous creatures and dominant predators. But should you? Why do people want to keep the world’s most lethal animals in their living spaces?
People keep deadly animals as pets, but these 13 creatures pose more significant risks than most understand.
Tigers
Despite their noble appearance, tigers remain deadly hunters ready to end a life in one powerful attack. A full-sized tiger reaches 600 pounds and uses more than 1,000 PSI when it bites.
Despite their “cuddly” look, tigers have been responsible for numerous fatal attacks on owners over the years. No matter how well they are trained, tigers remain unpredictable creatures.
Keeping a tiger endangers everyone and breaks the law in several areas because conservationists demonstrate that it threatens the species’ health.
Crocodiles
Despite surviving for 200 million years on Earth, crocodiles should never become household pets. The marine giants remain quiet predators, reaching 20 feet long and producing a powerful 3,700 PSI bite force that breaks bones instantly.
Many pet owners fail to understand that the crocodile pets they start with will experience rapid growth. Without proper preparation, your tiny hatchling will become a deadly threat.
Venomous Snakes
Some of the riskiest snakes for pet aficionados to keep in their homes include king cobras, black mambas, and vipers. Humans must get anti-venom treatment right away because these snakes’ venom can end an adult’s life in under sixty minutes, yet most pet owners cannot access the medicine.
Professionals still find these snakes too dangerous to handle. Every year, the U.S. faces many cases of venomous snakebites primarily because amateur owners take excessive risks with these hazardous pets.
Chimpanzees
Despite sharing 98.7% of their DNA with humans, chimpanzees display remarkable intelligence and dangerous violence. At 130 pounds, they have enough strength and quickness to beat an adult human in a physical match.
Their sharp teeth can break skin deeply enough to kill someone. Home-raised chimps have turned on their owners and other household members multiple times. They make destructive pets because their unpredictable strength remains dangerous despite their baby’s cuteness.
Wolves
While wolves enthrall us as canines, their pack structure and predatory habits make them risky pets. Wild dogs thrive and survive better than pet dogs, making them mighty hunters of prey much more significant than themselves.
Despite living with humans, these wild animals show instinctive territorial behavior and defend what they possess. People across the country experience wolf attacks despite owning these animals.
Scorpions
Although minuscule, some species produce venom that can end an adult human’s life within ten minutes. What’s scarier? Many scorpion owners neglect to build secure holding areas, which results in unintentional scorpion stings.
People who handle scorpions tend to ignore how quick and aggressive these creatures can act. A sting requires rapid medical care to prevent fatal damage to your body systems.
Brown Bears
Owning a bear feels like fantasy, but reality shows this is sadly not true. Brown bears reach 8 feet in height and weigh more than 1,000 pounds, making them vigorous space protectors.
Hand-raised bears still act like wild bears. Many cases show owners being mauled by their “friendly” bears with fatal consequences.
Big Cats Beyond Tigers
Despite their equal danger level to tigers, many people acquire exotic pets like lions, leopards, and cheetahs because they find their beauty irresistible. Lions’ full power shines through the distance of 5 miles traveled by their roar.
Though owners try to domesticate these animals, they kill people and prove their wild nature remains intact. These majestic big cats become deadly toward their handlers at random moments.
Monocled Cobras
The monocled cobra, found in South and Southeast Asia, causes more deadly snakebite incidents than other snakes. Its venom attacks the nervous system, stopping its functions and resulting in death.
What factors make these cobras more dangerous than others? When threatened, they can flatten their necks into a striking hood—an action many untrained handlers mistake as “posing.”
Kangaroos
Even though kangaroos usually eat plants, their nature reveals they can be dangerous. Male kangaroos who stand above 6 feet tall use their strong back legs to strike deadly, powerful kicks.
News shows that kangaroos attack people even when kept as pets because these calm animals respond violently when they become upset.
Poison Dart Frogs
The fantastic tiny frogs keep deadly venom in their skin, which could kill ten adult men per specimen. Captive-bred frogs become dangerous again when incorrect treatment meets environmental stress.
You can only keep one as a pet with minimal risk when maintaining the highest safety measures. Most pet lovers decide the potential threat of dangerous animals exceeds the excitement they provide.
Hyenas
Although movies show them only as comic animals, hyenas have strong jaws that can break giraffe bones. Their territory behavior makes them bad choices for household pets.
Combining their intelligent behaviors with group instincts makes them hard to manage. When animals work together as a pack, their natural aggression becomes more severe than when they hunt alone.
Elephants
The costs of caring for intelligent elephant calves exceed what even trained facilities can handle. A mature elephant can reach 10,000 pounds, and its one powerful attack can rip through any vehicle.
Under normal conditions, elephants stay calm but become aggressive when they experience stress or mistreatment and during mating periods. The consequences of keeping one as a “pet” are as life-altering as dangerous.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
Disclosure: For transparency, this content was partly developed with AI assistance and carefully curated by an experienced editor to be informative and ensure accuracy.
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