The golden poison dart frog, one of the most toxic animals on Earth, faces welfare challenges from wild capture for the pet trade and inadequate captive husbandry.
Wild-captured poison frogs experience stress, transport mortality and inadequate husbandry in uninformed captive situations. Even captive-bred individuals have specific humidity, temperature and dietary requirements that many hobbyists fail to meet, resulting in chronic stress and shortened lifespans. Wild populations face additional collection pressure alongside habitat loss. Captive breeding programmes by specialist keepers with proper protocols represent the only welfare-acceptable source for the pet trade.