[Animals] What is the exotic pet trade?

[FNX Magokiler]

Millions of exotic animals are sold around the world every year, destined for buyers' basements and backyards. The term "exotic" has no fixed definition, but usually refers to an animal that is wild or more unusual than a typical dog or cat. The booming business with these animals is called the exotic pet trade.

Some of this trade is legal, but animals are often taken from the wild illegally to supply the demand for exotic pets. The illicit sale of live animals constitutes a significant part of the illegal wildlife trade, a global black market worth billions of dollars.

(Related: Spain, gateway for illegal species trafficking)

Booming demand
People have kept exotic pets throughout history, but demand for unique creatures has skyrocketed in recent years. Much of this can be attributed to the po[CENSORED]rity of e-commerce and social media websites, which have provided a way to easily advertise the sale of live animals. They have also po[CENSORED]rized exotic animals by offering a place where people can display them.

 

 

A spate of videos posted on YouTube in 2015 of slow lorises eating rice balls in captivity, for example, went viral and led to poaching of these big-eyed primates for the pet trade.

Where do exotic animals come from?
Some exotic pets are bred in captivity. Conservationists often view captive breeding as a way to save wild animals from poaching for the pet trade, and many countries allow the export of captive-bred animals as long as proper legal documents are obtained.

But countless animals are taken from the wild before being sold as pets. After an animal is taken from the wild – often in violation of the law – it can be used in a breeding operation, sold locally, smuggled out of the country, or intentionally labeled as captive-bred and exported legally. Researchers have discovered that Indian star tortoises from Jordan, red-eyed tree frogs from Nicaragua, and many other species are being "laundered."

 

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.es/animales/que-es-el-comercio-de-mascotas-exoticas