The international wildlife trade causes enormous welfare harm to wild animals through capture, transport, and holding conditions. CITES and national legislation are the primary regulatory frameworks.
The wildlife trade causes welfare harm at every stage from capture through transport to destination holding conditions. Wild-caught animals experience the trauma of capture, often suffer severe injuries, and face mortality rates that would be considered unacceptable in any other context. Stronger CITES enforcement, demand reduction through consumer education, and transition to captive-bred sources for legal species are the primary welfare improvement levers.