some stories are just so telling...

today, i was at the monte l. bean museum working on the level:hard cub scout scavenger hunt when...

my friend, josh - a native to utah - explained to me that in his early years he contacted animal control or some other official institution to ask how one could acquire an exotic pet.

"what exactly are you looking for?" they asked.
"well, i was hoping for a lion," he replied.
"those aren't really native to this region."
"a tiger, then?"
"nope."
"hmmm...well, what kinds of exotic animals are available?"

the official named off a slew of boring options before disclosing that a small percentage of utah residents keep wolves as house pets.

"about how many, would you say?"
"it's hard to know exactly because it's actually illegal."
"really..."
"yup."
"say a person wanted to get a wolf...how exactly would they do that?"