The underground trafficking of exotic animals is a booming business. There is a lot of money to be made. Its worth an estimated $10-20 BILLION dollars. Many states have bans on certain species of animals, but people keep them hidden and are constantly finding ways around the regulations.
Many people don't do enough research about the animal before purchasing it, including how the animal is obtained. Poachers find theses exotic animals and sell them for a high price. The animal is obtained through any way possible. It can be hunted and tranquilized and taken right from its home. Another source comes from Ecuador, and the animals are caught by poor, uneducated people looking to make a quick buck. Some monkeys can be sold for $20. If they're this cheap then that means there's not much money going to good equipment and care for these animals before they're sold. It also can indicate how easily and abundant these animals are. If they're constantly being captured the wild population will decrease and extinction could occur. This, sadly happens to many species.
Even when people do the research and think they're ready for any one of these exotic pets, they're not. How could someone possibly be ready to have a wild animal live in there home as a pet. These animals have natural instincts to do whatever is necessary to survive. They can be combative and destructive. They can't just go from forging for food in the forest to sitting on your fluffy carpet in your living room. Some animals can get depressed from not being in their natural environment and will stop eating. For example, I found a young turtle in my backyard a few summers ago and I decided to keep it as a pet. I already had a turtle, the same type as the one I found, so I thought I would be able to easily take care of it. I bought it the tank, decor, filter, and heat lamp only to find out it refused to eat, or really even move. I thought it just needed time to adjust, but after a week went by I got scared it would starve to death so I released it where I found it. As soon as it touched the grass it ran so fast towards the woods I needed to take a second to process what just happened. It didn't ever move in its tank, because it's a wild animal, not a pet. It can't just be closed up in a piece of glass.
I think that people have the right intentions when wanting to purchase an exotic animal. They just love animals they want to keep them in their home. But too much love is killing these poor creatures. They need to be observed and loved from afar.
That's a pretty interesting story about the turtle. I am sure you are correct about people not researching the care needed for the animal they are adopting, but that is true even for domesticated animals like dogs and birds. I am interested in knowing facts and data. How many animals and what kinds are you talking about--data and sources? What are the validated harms to the animals--data and sources? What are the validated harms to the owners and to our various environments? And what is the current law and what are the facts about the success in enforcing it? I instinctively am on your side, but I sure would like some facts from respected sources.
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