Your Illegal Dream Pet? Here Are the Top Picks

Owning an Exotic Animal is Totally Illegal… and Also Kinda Awesome to Imagine

Owning an exotic animal is illegal and dangerous. No one should do it. Ever.
(Okay, now that the disclaimer’s out of the way…)

Let’s be honest—if you could safely and responsibly have any exotic animal as a companion, what would you choose?
After a very non serious and not very scientific poll of Cat Country Utah listeners, we have the top choices for Southern Utah:

From sleek Savannah cats and mysterious snow leopards to black panthers, the ultimate king (or queen) of imaginary backyard pets was the white tiger.
Just picture it: You get home from work, and a majestic white tiger is waiting to lounge in the sun with you. Snuggle time? Yes, please.

If there was any way to hang out with an elephant and snuggle up and not get crushed, I'd sign up. They’re massive, intelligent, and somehow incredibly huggable-looking.
Where would we even keep one in Southern Utah? Sugarloaf? Hike Dixie Rock and grab an elephant ride while you're up there?

Pandas just get it. Eat bamboo. Nap. Roll around. Repeat.
We need to learn the fine art of roll-around travel. It would be a lot less fuel. Bonus points if it gets us out of meetings.

Not to be confused with their larger cousins, red pandas are playful, small, and perfect for imaginary snuggle piles. They wrestle, tumble, and generally look like mischief wrapped in fluff. Who wouldn’t want two or three of them zooming around the house?

We’re not entirely sure what you’d do with a giraffe, but you’d definitely never be bored.
Sit on the porch and watch her nibble tree branches all day? Try to ride one like some bizarre, majestic steed? Endless possibilities.

Otters might seem like a curveball… until you watch baby otter videos.
They’re affectionate, sleek, and packed with personality. If you're having a rough day, otter videos are basically nature’s therapy.

There were imaginary votes for chimps, gorillas, baboons—you name it.
Some folks dreamed of having a trained chimp to take on the road to entertain at nursing homes. Sounds great… unless the audience has high standards. (I once sang at a retirement center and some of the residents plugged their ears, so maybe skip the performance and just bring snacks.)

DJ & Aaronee have lots of great discussion and do a ton of giveaways on their morning show. Make sure you join them Monday-Friday 6a-10a on 107.3 and 94.9 Cat Country Utah

READ MORE: DJ & Aaronee on Cat Country Utah