The recent tragic chimp attack in Connecticut has sparked a wave of criticism against exotic pets as domesticated companion animals. I watched an interview on television this morning in which Sandra Herold, the owner of the chimp, told reporters that he was a longtime member of her family--she cooked for him, and he slept with her at night.
These unusual and exotic pets are incapable of causing the kind of damage that the chimp attack has inflicted on Charla Nash earlier this week. From Pikachu to painted pet rocks, there are plenty of safer--albeit every bit as unusual--alternatives for a companion animal below.