There are numerous reasons to adopt rather than buy an animal, and one of the most important is animal cruelty in the pet trade. Many consumers in the United States go into legitimate pet businesses to buy an animal, entirely unaware that the pet store may be supporting the illegal wildlife trafficking and other unethical […]
Tag: pet trade
To spot wild-caught birds in pet trade, researchers zoom into isotopic detail
For pet enthusiasts, buying an exotic, rare or endangered species can be done legally, and many pet owners want to obey the law. The problem is that illegally obtained animals, captured from the wild, are often mixed in with legally obtained animals, making them indistinguishable to a buyer. Moreover, sellers sometimes lie about a pet’s […]
Polly wants a future: Yellow-naped Amazon in illegal pet trade crisis
Chicks seized from the nest, birds dying in transit – the Yellow-naped Amazon’s wild population is being driven to the brink of extinction by the illegal pet trade. If we want to give this intelligent and resplendent bird a future, we need to act now – before it’s too late. The global popularity of the […]
There Could be Over 3,000 Pet Tigers in Texas
A lack of regulation over the ownership of exotic pets could be causing an influx in people owning pet tigers. One animal trainer who has owned exotic pets believes that there could be more than 3,000 pet tigers in Texas right now, according to Click2Houston. Though there are plenty of laws banning and regulating the […]
Green peafowl flourish in Thailand’s northern forests, but conflict looms
CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Once widespread across Southeast Asia, from Java to southern China, green peafowl (Pavo muticus) have vanished from much of the region over the past few decades, due to forest habitat loss, overhunting and persecution following conflict with farmers. The endangered species is only present in 16% of its former range in […]
Petition: Ban Photos that Glamorize Exotic Animal Ownership on Instagram
The popularity of social media has brought about the development of a new career: influencers. These individuals have tens of thousands, and sometimes millions, of followers who look to them for what to wear, do, read, watch, use, and, essentially, how to live their lives. Sadly, while some types of influence may have a profoundly […]
Pet trade relies on ‘disposable’ wild chameleons from Madagascar
DIANA REGION, Madagascar — With the sun still low in the sky, my taxi boat pulled up to a floating wooden pontoon in the bustling port of Ankify in northwestern Madagascar. As one of the few foreigners, or vazaha, in the port that morning, I was instantly surrounded by local taxi drivers eager to take […]
Petition: House Reintroduces Big Cat Public Safety Act in New Session
The U.S. House will introduce a bill to prohibit keeping big cats as pets and help protect public safety! The Big Cat Public Safety Act was passed during the last Congress in December, but we must keep fighting for stronger federal laws! The bill was reintroduced on January 11 by Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL) and […]