Endangered species convention proposes new rules for growing exotic pet trade

Conservationists are sounding the alarm on the growing exotic pet trade, calling for stronger regulations to protect vulnerable wildlife species increasingly marketed online and popularized through social media. The issue is a central focus at the two-week Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which concludes Friday.

Several proposals addressing the pet trade will be considered, including tighter regulations or outright bans on trading Galapagos iguanas, Latin American tarantulas, and an unusual turtle species from Africa.

“What we’re seeing is the pet trade much more looking at reptiles, amphibians. People want rare species and they don’t have to go into a pet shop,” explained Susan Lieberman, vice president for international policy at the Wildlife Conservation Society. “They go online and there are thousands of animals, including endangered species, illegally obtained species, all available on the internet.”

The nature of wildlife trafficking has evolved significantly in recent years. While trade in animal parts like elephant ivory and tiger bones once dominated illegal wildlife commerce, live animals for the pet market increasingly appear in online marketplaces.

Matt Collis, senior director of international policy at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), emphasized how technology has transformed wildlife trafficking: “The dramatic growth in online marketplaces has put consumers directly in touch with wildlife traders and criminals around the world. In today’s society where pretty much anything can be bought with a click of a button and shipped anywhere in the world in a matter of days, no wildlife is safe.”

Social media influencers showcasing exotic pets have further fueled demand, Collis noted. The trend is particularly concerning in Latin America, where an IFAW report documented over 100,000 animals seized or poached between 2017 and 2022, with annual seizures rising steadily.

The report highlighted that reptiles constitute roughly 60% of the live pet trade, while birds account for nearly 30% and amphibians over 10%. Although many animals are traded locally or regionally, evidence suggests significant trafficking to collectors in Europe, Asia, and the United States. More than 90% of wildlife seized en route to Europe were live animals, confirming the pet trade as a primary driver of illegal trafficking.

Among the species being considered for enhanced protection is the Home’s Hinged-back Tortoise, a critically endangered turtle from West Africa with a unique shell that allows it to close off its back legs and tail. Other proposals target two Ethiopian viper species, two Mexican rattlesnake species, the Australian leaf-tailed gecko, and two South American sloth species that increasingly appear in themed cafes across Asia.

Ecuador has proposed banning trade in marine and land iguanas from the Galapagos Islands, which are listed as critically endangered or vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Although Ecuador prohibits commercial export of these iguanas, and collecting them from the Galapagos has long been illegal, traders reportedly capture young iguanas and transport them by boat or overland, mislabeling them as captive-bred. Most are destined for Japan and other Asian markets, where they can fetch up to $25,000 on the black market.

While the United States supports many of these proposals, including those for iguanas, sloths, vipers, tortoises, and geckos, it opposes the rattlesnake listing.

Experts point to significant loopholes in the current regulatory framework. Species banned from trade in their native habitat can still appear online through traders who manipulate CITES permits and captive breeding regulations, exploiting importing countries that fail to verify whether animals are truly captive-bred or wild-caught.

“In theory, under CITES rules, the countries issuing export permits should be checking that these animals, and crucially their parentage all the way back to the founder stock, were legally acquired,” Collis explained. “But that is not happening.” Countries often issue permits without verifying animal origins, enabling traffickers to launder animals from illegal sources.

Lieberman highlighted a fundamental misconception in the original CITES framework: “When the treaty was drafted in the early 1970s, there wasn’t a lot of captive breeding and people thought, ‘Well, if they’re bred in captivity, it’ll take pressure off the wild.’ Sounds good, except it doesn’t work that way. Breeding in captivity also creates a market, but they’re cheaper from the wild. And also it’s a great way to launder.”

The pet trade industry has pushed back against some proposals. The United States Association of Reptile Keepers opposes the tarantula listing, which would regulate trade in more than a dozen species, calling it “incongruous” for combining many species into a single proposal. The association also contends that current iguana regulations “provide adequate protection.”

A forthcoming report from the Center for Biological Diversity, however, identifies the United States as one of the largest markets for the pet trade, importing approximately 90 million live amphibians, arachnids, birds, aquarium fish, mammals, and reptiles annually. The report warns that wildlife exploitation for the pet trade significantly contributes to the global extinction crisis, with one million species at risk of extinction without immediate action.