Monitor lizards are large, intelligent reptiles increasingly popular in the exotic pet trade, where their welfare needs are poorly understood by most keepers.
Monitors are active predators that explore large territories in the wild. Captive monitors kept in small enclosures show repetitive pacing and glass-surfing behaviours indicative of chronic frustration. Thermal requirements are demanding and frequently unmet. The leather trade harvests monitors in large numbers from the wild in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, often under conditions of severe suffering.