The exotic pet trade involves routine cruelty on a massive scale and most exotic pets endure short, miserable lives. Except for animals displayed in pet shops, the majority of exotic pet suffering is hidden from view behind the doors of dealers’ premises and private homes.
Meerkats, macaws, seahorses, foxes, anacondas… the list goes on. In fact, there are over 13,000 species in the international pet trade and many millions of animals are sold. For most species traded as pets, information on how to keep them in captivity is sparse, and available guidance is often based on hearsay rather than scientific research.
In the UK, there are few restrictions on what type of animal can be legally kept as a pet. The exotic pet trade thrives on buyer ignorance and commonly misdescribes exotic animals as ‘easy to keep’ when, in fact, their complex needs may be impossible to meet in ordinary homes.
Sadly, the sale of wild-caught animals as pets is still legal in the UK. Many would-be exotic pets die from the shock and injury of being captured and many others from poor and overcrowded transport and housing conditions.
Captive-breeding is popular for some species and is often considered an acceptable alternative to wild-caught animals. However, artificial, and often intensive, breeding methods can cause disease or lifelong psychological and behavioural problems. For example, most parrots in the pet trade are prematurely removed from their parents and hand-reared, which can ultimately lead to long-term problems such as screaming, biting and feather-plucking.
Whether captured from the wild or bred in captivity, exotic pets are essentially wild animals and retain their natural instincts.
Their inability to adapt to artificial conditions results in captivity-stress.
If suffered over a long period, captivity-stress can lead to chronic behavioural problems. Lizards may sustain injuries to their snouts by repeatedly impacting against the transparent walls of their enclosures. Some mammals and birds can become so stressed that they wound themselves. Chronic stress can also increase an animals’ susceptibility to disease and is a major underlying cause for premature death in many exotic pets.
Vast numbers of exotic pets suffer and die prematurely both before and shortly after their arrival in the home. Around 80% of wild-caught marine fish die before reaching the pet shop and a further 70% die within their first year in the home. A pre-sale death rate of over 70% is considered industry standard for reptiles and at least 75% of reptiles die within their first year as pets.
Many of the species suffering high mortality rates are fundamentally unsuitable for captivity, let alone private ownership. It is no surprise that the exotic pet industry has been likened to a trade in perishable goods.
* Top banner image: An orange-winged Amazon parrot (Amazona amazonica) that has self-plucked its feathers.