Monitor lizards are hunted for meat, skins, and traditional medicine across Africa and Asia. Their welfare in these trade chains is largely invisible despite the scale of exploitation.
Monitor lizards killed for bushmeat are often caught in snares or trapped, causing injury and prolonged captive stress before slaughter. Traditional slaughter methods are not designed for rapid euthanasia. Skin trade involves killing at scale with minimal welfare consideration. Their intelligence makes captive stress particularly significant — monitors show clear signs of chronic stress in inadequate conditions. Trade in monitor lizards as exotic pets frequently involves wild capture and high mortality during transport.