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Live Reptile Trade
The recent explosion in the popularity of pet reptiles—the number hit nine million in 2000, an increase of more than one million in two years—is bad news for reptiles and humans.
Hazardous Pets
People who buy reptiles as pets get more than they bargained for. For instance, most consumers don't know that all reptiles carry Salmonella bacteria. This doesn't cause a problem for them, but for humans, it can be deadly. Salmonellosis causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and chills, and may develop into invasive illnesses such as meningitis and sepsis. In several cases, salmonellosis in children has resulted in severe illness or even death.
Furthermore, most people buy reptiles that are young and small. But even turtles, the most popular pet reptiles, can outgrow their tanks and their welcome. Snakes and lizards, often sold as hatchlings, can reach six feet or more—at which point they can pose a physical threat to humans and other companion animals.
A Hazardous Trade
Each reptile sold by a pet store represents depleted wild populations, damaged habitats, and individual suffering. While some pet reptiles are produced in captivity, most are taken from the wild or born of wild-caught parents. Each year the United States imports nearly two million live reptiles and exports about nine million. This poorly regulated trade harms wild populations and their habitats. Poor capture techniques, compounded by poor shipping methods or inadequate care, kill many reptiles before they reach the pet store. An estimated 90% of wild-caught reptiles die in their first year of captivity because of physical trauma prior to purchase or because their owners cannot meet their complex dietary and habitat needs.
For public health, conservation, and humane reasons,
The HSI Asia recommends that the general public forgo pet reptiles.
Transport Regulations
A United Nations treaty,
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES),
requires live animals covered by the treaty to be shipped in accordance with
IATA guidelines. However, most importing and exporting countries do not
adequately enforce this requirement. For example, in the United States,
fewer than 25% of live animal shipments are inspected by FWS agents. When
shipments are inspected and violations are found, FWS agents often give the
importer a warning rather than taking the stricter measures allowed by law.
When cases involving violations make it to federal court—which is rarely the
case—the judges generally don't impose stiff penalties. Consequently, there
is little incentive for those engaged in the live wildlife trade business to
comply with the law. Furthermore, most species in the live trade are not
listed on CITES, so most live wildlife in trade have no legal protection as
far as shipping conditions are concerned.
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