Wild-caught reptile imports carry high mortality rates, disease burdens, and welfare harms throughout the supply chain from collection to retail sale.
Reptile import welfare harms are pervasive: collection trauma, dehydration during transport, overcrowding in holding facilities, and inadequate temperature regulation during shipping cause enormous mortality. Those that survive arrive immunosuppressed and may carry multiple pathogens that cause delayed death. The wild-caught trade sustains itself by collecting more animals to replace those that die in transit — creating a perpetual cycle of welfare harm at the collection source. Choosing captive-bred reptiles breaks this cycle.