- A key motion under consideration at the upcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress would create guidelines for managing the wildlife pet trade, and that’s key because across the world, millions of live animals — mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians — are taken from the wild every year.
- The illegal and unsustainable wildlife pet trade depends on the appeal of live animals whose capture leaves forests and grasslands silent, stripped of the pollinators, seed dispersers and predators that keep ecosystems functioning.
- “The IUCN congress offers a crucial chance to turn global attention toward the pet trade, and its illegality and unsustainability. If we fail to act, this commerce will continue hollowing out ecosystems, spreading invasive species, and endangering health,” a new op-ed argues.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
The illegal and unsustainable wildlife pet trade depends on the appeal of live animals — creatures that people naturally want to care for. Yet behind the allure of a bright-eyed chameleon or playful primate lies an ecological tragedy: forests and grasslands left silent, stripped of the pollinators, seed dispersers and predators that keep ecosystems functioning.
At a time when global biodiversity is under unprecedented threat, the scale of the trade is staggering. Across the world, millions of live animals — mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians — are taken from the wild every year. Over a nine-year period, more than 1 million chameleons of 108 species were reported as exported globally.
An estimated 3,600 cheetah cubs — many orphaned when their mothers were killed — were smuggled out of the Horn of Africa for sale in wealthy Middle Eastern markets. In Indonesia, nearly 200,000 wild birds of 95 species were recorded as transported between two islands over three years. And in the United States, almost 100,000 listings for live reptiles and amphibians covering 652 species appeared on pet-trading websites over four years.
These are not isolated examples. They illustrate a systemic problem of breathtaking scale, one that is growing in both numbers and diversity of species targeted. For every animal that reaches a buyer, many more die in capture or transit. Each one removed from the wild is a thread lost from its ecosystem.
The damage is not only ecological. This trade poses risks to human and animal health. Wild-caught animals often carry pathogens that leap across species barriers — a danger in a world still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. When released or escaped, nonnative wildlife can become invasive species, outcompeting local wildlife and disrupting entire habitats. From Florida’s Burmese pythons to Europe’s invasive red-eared sliders, the costs are borne by both nature and society.
Yet despite the urgency, the scale of the trade remains hard to quantify. Unless a species is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), governments are not required to record imports and exports. In many cases, if the species is not on CITES, animals that cannot be legally taken from the wild and traded in their native country are freely imported into consumer countries. The United States is among the few countries that track all wildlife imports. Much of the trade is illegal, hidden in underground markets and revealed only through seizures. What evidence exists shows the problem is vast, growing, and unsustainable.
That is why the upcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress, to be held Oct. 9-15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, has special urgency. The congress is a gathering of IUCN members (governments, nongovernmental organizations and Indigenous peoples’ organizations) that meets every four years and adopts conservation priorities and strategies. By convening delegates from around the world, it offers a platform to align commitments, forge partnerships and drive action.
A key motion under consideration would create a global task force to draft IUCN guidelines for managing the wildlife pet trade. While not legally binding, IUCN standards carry weight: governments routinely use them to shape policy. Past guidelines on handling confiscated animals have been adopted into law in multiple countries.
If adopted, the new guidelines could reshape the response to the pet trade. Among the ideas under discussion: excluding primates and big cats from the pet trade altogether, and adopting a “positive list” approach — allowing trade only in species that pose low risk to biodiversity, human health and animal welfare. This would invert the traditional “negative list” system, which always lags behind demand for new species. These proposals will be debated, but they are commensurate with the crisis.
At the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), where I am vice president for species conservation, we are deeply engaged in this fight. Across almost 60 countries, our field operations work with governments and local communities to strengthen enforcement, promote science to better understand and manage populations, protect species in their habitats, and reduce incentives for poaching by supporting local livelihoods. Along trade routes and in markets, we support enforcement against traffickers.
Through our zoos and aquariums — including Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium — we assist authorities in housing animals confiscated from illegal trade, such as turtles, tortoises, reptiles and amphibians. Without such support, enforcement agencies often face an impossible choice: turn a blind eye or confiscate animals they cannot manage.
The IUCN congress offers a crucial chance to turn global attention toward the pet trade, and its illegality and unsustainability. If we fail to act, this commerce will continue hollowing out ecosystems, spreading invasive species and endangering health. If we succeed, we can align governments, NGOs and the public around science-based measures to rein it in.
Our affection for animals must no longer be twisted into a force that takes them from their wild homes and destroys their ecosystems. By passing a strong motion at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, we can channel that compassion into protection — so future generations hear forests alive with birdsong and the chirrups of frogs, not silenced by the widespread desire for exotic pets.
Elizabeth Bennett is vice president for species conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Related audio from Mongabay’s podcast: Jane Goodall was a tireless advocate for biodiversity and humanity, and discussed these topics with Mongabay’s CEO in 2024, listen here:
See related coverage:
New model reveals hidden dynamics of Indonesia’s booming songbird trade
DNA probe links Japan’s otter-themed cafes to poaching hotspots in Thailand
Citations:
Isaac MC, Burgess ND, Tallowin OJS, Pavitt AT, Kadigi RMJ, Ract C (2024) Status and trends in the international wildlife trade in Chameleons with a focus on Tanzania. PLoS ONE 19(5): e0300371. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300371
Patricia Tricorache, Kristin Nowell, Günther Wirth, Nicholas Mitchell, Lorraine K. Boast, Laurie Marker. Chapter 14 – Pets and Pelts: Understanding and Combating Poaching and Trafficking in Cheetahs, in Biodiversity of World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes, Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation, Academic Press, 2018, pages 191-205, ISBN 9780128040881. doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804088-1.00014-9.
Stringham, O. C., & Lockwood, J. L. (2018). Pet problems: Biological and economic factors that influence the release of alien reptiles and amphibians by pet owners. Journal of Applied Ecology, 55(6), 2632-2640. doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13237
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