Millions of exotic animals including parrots, reptiles, primates, and amphibians enter the pet trade each year. Many are wild-caught, suffer high mortality in transit, and are kept in conditions that cannot meet their needs.
The exotic pet trade combines welfare harms at every stage: capture stress, transit mortality, prolonged isolation, inappropriate housing, and nutritional deficiency in captivity. Wild-caught parrots, reptiles, and amphibians suffer acutely. Even captive-bred exotics often have needs that owners cannot realistically meet. Social media posts of unusual pets drive demand that fuels wild-capture operations. Education and regulation are both needed.