The growing trade in exotic pets is leading conservationists to call for stricter regulations to protect reptiles, birds and other animals in the wild, which are increasingly appearing on online markets and trending on social media.
Two weeks Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is scheduled to take place until Friday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Several proposals related to the pet trade will be considered on Tuesday.
Participants suggested stricter regulations or a complete ban on trade in several species, including iguanas from Galapagos Islandsmore than a dozen species of Latin American tarantulas and a strange turtle from Africa.
“What we're seeing is a pet trade that's more focused on reptiles and amphibians. People want rare species, and they don't necessarily have to go to a pet store,” said Susan Lieberman, vice president of international policy for the nonprofit Wildlife Conservation Society. “They go online and there are thousands of animals available online, including endangered species as well as illegally obtained species.”
The Internet stimulates illegal trade
In the past, trade was dominated by the sale of animal parts such as the elephant. ivory And tiger bones. But Matt Collis, senior director of international policy at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, says live animals are increasingly appearing online for the pet trade.
“The dramatic growth of online marketplaces has put consumers in direct contact with wildlife traffickers and criminals around the world,” Collis said. “In a modern society where almost anything can be purchased at the touch of a button and shipped anywhere in the world in a matter of days, no wildlife is safe.”
Also contributing to the problem are social media influencers who have made their exotic pets cool, Collis said.
Some of the species proposed for greater protection at the CITES conference are in Latin America, where an IFAW report last year found that illegal trade was growing. The report, covering 18 Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, said more than 100,000 animals were seized or poached between 2017 and 2022, with the number of seizures increasing every year.
The report says the live pet trade makes up a growing portion of the trade, with reptiles making up about 60% of animals, nearly 30% being birds and more than 10% being amphibians. Many animals were traded locally or regionally, but there was also evidence of animals being sent to collectors in Europe, Asia and the United States.
The report found that more than 90% of confiscated wildlife destined for Europe were live animals, confirming that demand for pets was a key driver of the illegal trade.
Turtle and vipers on guard
Among the reptile species targeted for tighter trade controls is the Houma articulated turtle, an endangered turtle native to West Africa that has a unique hinge on its back that allows it to close its back legs and tail.
There are proposals to regulate trade in two species of pit vipers endemic to Ethiopia, two species of rattlesnakes found mainly in Mexico, the leaf gecko from Australia and two species of sloths from South America that are increasingly appearing in sloth cafes in Asia.
Ecuador proposal would ban trade marine and terrestrial iguanas from the Galapagos Islands, which are listed as endangered or vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are concerns that the illegal trade could further destabilize populations already facing threats from invasive species, increased tourism and El Niño-related weather fluctuations.
In its CITES proposal, Ecuador said it does not allow commercial export of iguanas, and their collection from the Galapagos Islands has been prohibited for decades. But Ecuador has expressed concern that traders are capturing and transporting young iguanas by boat or overland to ports and evading authorities by falsely labeling them as captive-bred. Most of the iguanas are destined for Japan and other Asian countries and can be sold on the black market for up to $25,000.
The United States supports proposals for iguanas, sloths, pit vipers, turtles, and geckos, but opposes the listing of rattlesnakes.
CITES permits are being abused
A species may be banned from trade in its native range but sold online by traders who abuse the CITES permitting process and captive breeding rules, and then take advantage of importing countries that don't bother to check whether the animals come from the wild, Collis said.
“In theory, under CITES rules, countries issuing these export permits must verify that these animals and, crucially, their provenance, down to the founding stock, were legally acquired in order to obtain an export permit,” Collis said. “But that doesn't happen.”
Countries issue permits without checking the origin of the animals, which helps traders launder animals from illegal sources, “undermining the very system designed to protect these species,” he said.
The Wildlife Conservation Society's Lieberman said the CITES proposals draw attention to the long-standing problem of captive breeding of exotic species.
“When the treaty was written in the early 1970s, captive breeding was low and people thought, 'Well, if you breed them in captivity, it will reduce the pressure on wildlife,'” she said. “It sounds good, but it doesn't work that way. Captive breeding also creates a market, but they're cheaper in the wild. It's also a great way to launder money.”
Pet traders fear proposals will go too far
The convention also introduced a proposal to regulate trade in more than a dozen species of tarantulas. Bolivia, Argentina and Panama note that they are “among the most widely traded groups of invertebrates,” with more than half of all species available online. The proposal would allow trade in spiders, provided there is evidence that their sources are legal, sustainable and traceable.
“Some tarantula species are particularly vulnerable to overexploitation due to their long lifespans, limited geographic ranges, and low reproductive rates,” the proposal states. “It is alarming that most are not regulated internationally, despite the high availability of hundreds of species in international trade.”
The United States Reptile Keepers Association opposes the listing of tarantulas, which it called “ridiculous” for lumping many species into one proposal.
The association, which advocates responsible private ownership and trade of reptiles and amphibians, suggested other reptile proposals reflect government abuses, noting that proposed changes to the sale of iguanas are unnecessary because current rules “provide adequate protection.”
“Most species have limited trade in captive-bred specimens, which pose no threat to wild populations,” David Garcia, the organization's legal counsel and its delegate to the CITES conference, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, many countries, groups and individuals take the nonsensical position that the way to limit threats to wild populations is to make it more difficult for these species to reproduce in captivity.
But a report from the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity provided to The Associated Press and set to be released Dec. 8 says the United States is one of the largest markets for the pet trade, importing an average of 90 million live amphibians, arachnids, birds, aquarium fish, mammals and reptiles each year.
“Wildlife exploitation, including for the pet trade, is a major driver of the global extinction crisis,” the report says. “One million species are on track for extinction in the coming decades unless action is taken to address species extinction. Addressing the United States' role in the exotic pet trade must be a top priority to stop this crisis and protect biodiversity for future generations.”
