The exotic pet trade involves the capture, transport, and keeping of millions of wild animals annually, with significant mortality and welfare harm at every stage of the supply chain.
Exotic pet keeping inflicts welfare harm at every stage: capture stress and mortality, transport mortality, sale in inappropriate conditions, and life in captivity without adequate space, diet, social contact, or veterinary care. The animals most affected are those requiring the most specialised care — parrots that live 80 years and need complex social stimulation, tortoises with precise temperature and humidity needs, chameleons that die from stress. Effective welfare response requires both stronger regulation of the exotic pet trade and consumer education that reduces demand.