The global trade in exotic pets drives capture of wild animals, high transport mortality, and a lifetime of welfare deprivation for survivors. Understanding what drives demand and how to address it is central to protecting wild animals from this trade.
The exotic pet trade creates welfare harm at multiple stages. Wild capture involves trapping methods that cause injury and death to non-target species. Captured animals undergo transport in conditions causing dehydration, starvation, and infectious disease. Mortality rates of 60-80% during capture and transit mean that for every exotic pet reaching a buyer, several animals have died. Survivors face lifetime captivity in conditions that cannot meet the complex physical, social, and environmental needs of wild-caught species. Slow lorises kept as pets develop metabolic bone disease, tooth rot from having teeth clipped, and severe psychological disturbance. Consumer demand that is easily addressed through choosing captive-bred animals or abstaining from exotic pet ownership entirely is the primary driver of this welfare harm.