The online pet trade has emerged as a pressing threat to otters in Southeast Asia with a new TRAFFIC-IUCN Otter Specialist Group (OSG) study revealing hundreds of the animals for sale on Facebook and other websites over a four-month period. The Illegal Otter Trade in Southeast Asia, released today, revealed a high demand for juvenile […]
Tag: pet trade
Illegal online sales of endangered wildlife rife in Europe
The online sale of endangered and threatened wildlife is rife across Europe, a new investigation has revealed, ranging from live cheetahs, orangutans and bears to ivory, polar bear skins and many live reptiles and birds. Researchers from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) spent six weeks tracking adverts on 100 online marketplaces in four […]
POLL: Should Florida’s invasive iguanas be killed off?
Florida is struggling with a fast-increasing population of invasive green iguanas that began as a small group of released and escaped pets. Thriving in the warm sunshine and humid climate, experts believe hundreds of thousands of nonnative iguanas now call the Sunshine State “home.” There, state conservation officials claim they threaten the wellbeing of native […]
Borneo Lost Half of its Orangutans in Just 16 Years
Conservationists have worked to secure the survival of critically endangered Bornean orangutans, but researchers have found they’re still declining at an alarming rate and have lost about half their population in less than two decades. According to a study published in the journal “Cell Biology“, which drew on field survey data collected from 38 research […]
Heartbreaking Red Panda Rescue Raises Concerns About the Illegal Pet Trade
Red pandas are unquestionably adorable, but unfortunately that could be causing them problems. A recent rescuehas raised concernsthat their cuteness is making them vulnerable in the illegal pet trade. In January, a random inspection of a vehicle by customs officials in Laos led to the discovery of six red pandas near the Chinese border. The […]
POLL: Should the keeping of reptiles and amphibians as pets be banned?
Over the past few decades, more and more households have decided to forego adopting a cat or dog and instead have opted to take in a reptile companion. However, vets are split on whether this is a good idea for both humans and the animals themselves. A group of editorials appearing online in the BMJ’s […]
POLL: Should the trapping and “ranching” of chameleons be banned?
Armed with a flashlight on a backroad in Florida, Hillary Dupont-Joyce is on the hunt. Her target is a master of disguise, but a flash of light can make it stick out among the dark trees. She scans her light along a thicket. Suddenly, her trained eye spots the prize: a sleeping chameleon. Dupont-Joyce is […]
POLL: Should the owning of exotic pets be banned?
An exotic pet is any animal that would not typically be considered a pet. Animals like snakes, sugar gliders, monkeys and scorpions are becoming more common in private homes. In the United States alone, it’s estimated that over 19 million households now have an exotic pet of some kind. Many would argue this is a […]