pet trade
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2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takumi Saito

In the era of globalization, biological invasions are one of the most serious social issues. Thus, managing its impact is an urgent task. It is essential to control non-native species before they become established. However, it is insufficient to address establishment debt, which occurs when a non-native species has been introduced into an area but has not yet been established in the wild. In particular, unintentionally introduced or contaminated organisms of the aquatic ornamental pet trade are referred to as “hitchhikers” and have not received much attention in the context of establishment debt. To understand the nature of establishment debt, including that of aquatic hitchhikers, I propose the monitoring of non-native species inhabiting artificial isolated waters, such as indoor aquariums, and the construction of a database using environmental DNA metabarcoding. This idea would be an effective non-regulatory management approach when implemented broadly, at the country level. Furthermore, implementation of this strategy in combination with border biosecurity and field monitoring may promote accurate prioritization, rapid species identification, and effective invasion pathway assessment.


2021 ◽  
pp. 24-27
Author(s):  
Jay Redbond

The Nguru spiny pygmy chameleon (Rhampholeon acuminatus) is endemic to the Nguru mountains in Tanzania. It is assessed as Critically Endangered and is collected from the wild for the pet trade. An ex-situ population of this species was recently established at The Wild Planet Trust, Paignton Zoo, in the hope of learning more about the husbandry and biology of this species. We report on the captive husbandry of adults and the successful breeding, hatching and rearing of juveniles. Females carried four eggs but laid them in pairs. When eggs were incubated at 19.2-22.8 °C, hatchlings emerged roughly 180 days after laying. The hatchlings had a total length of about 30 mm and weighed 0.2-0.3 g. To our knowledge, this is the first published account of captive breeding for this species. The husbandry methods described could be used to establish populations of this and other Rhampholeon species in captivity, which in turn would reduce the demand for wild caught (Rhampholeon), as well as inform future conservation breeding programmes for this species.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-112
Author(s):  
Jitka Kufnerová

Green tree python (Morelia viridis, Schlegel 1872) is a highly sought-after Indonesian/Papuan NG/Australian species in terms of the international trade in reptile pets. As the trade in wild animals is mostly prohibited nowadays, captive breeding supplies the international pet trade. There is evidence that captive breeding might be used as a cover for specimen’s illegally sourced from the wild, as there are very few possibilities of distinguishing wild from captive-bred animals. These rely on invasive sampling (cutting off the end of the tail in order to obtain a sample of blood/muscle/bone tissues) or presence of ecto- and/or endoparasites (method overcome by breeders housing animals in semi wild conditions). Therefore, we examined the possibility of using stable isotope analysis for determining: either the place of origin or diet as a means of defining whether they are captive bred or illegally sourced from the wild. We also review the use of non-invasive samples of shed (moulted) skins. We conclude that shed skins that are currently not used for identifying the source of green tree python could be used as forensic evidence, subject to the development of a viable method.


Biology Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jillian M. Josimovich ◽  
Bryan G. Falk ◽  
Alejandro Grajal-Puche ◽  
Emma B. Hanslowe ◽  
Ian A. Bartoszek ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Identifying which environmental and genetic factors affect growth pattern phenotypes can help biologists predict how organisms distribute finite energy resources in response to varying environmental conditions and physiological states. This information may be useful for monitoring and managing populations of cryptic, endangered, and invasive species. Consequently, we assessed the effects of food availability, clutch, and sex on the growth of invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus Kuhl) from the Greater Everglades Ecosystem in Florida, USA. Though little is known from the wild, Burmese pythons have been physiological model organisms for decades, with most experimental research sourcing individuals from the pet trade. Here, we used 60 hatchlings collected as eggs from the nests of two wild pythons, assigned them to High or Low feeding treatments, and monitored growth and meal consumption for 12 weeks, a period when pythons are thought to grow very rapidly. None of the 30 hatchlings that were offered food prior to their fourth week post-hatching consumed it, presumably because they were relying on internal yolk stores. Although only two clutches were used in the experiment, we found that nearly all phenotypic variation was explained by clutch rather than feeding treatment or sex. Hatchlings from clutch 1 (C1) grew faster and were longer, heavier, in better body condition, ate more frequently, and were bolder than hatchlings from clutch 2 (C2), regardless of food availability. On average, C1 and C2 hatchling snout-vent length (SVL) and weight grew 0.15 cm d−1 and 0.10 cm d−1, and 0.20 g d−1 and 0.03 g d−1, respectively. Additional research may be warranted to determine whether these effects remain with larger clutch sample sizes and to identify the underlying mechanisms and fitness implications of this variation to help inform risk assessments and management. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
Claudio Foglini

Freshwater turtles represent one of the most common pets released in urban water bodies. In Europe, after the ban on the import of Trachemys scripta, other non-native turtle species now dominate the legal pet trade. Some of these species have high invasive potential, such as the well-known slider turtle, but their diffusion outside their native range is poorly known. This work summarises presence data about non-native freshwater turtles, different from slider turtles T. scripta, into two urban parks located at the northern boundary of the Milan outskirts (Italy, Lombardy). Turtle detections were obtained merging field surveys conducted from 2014 to 2020, with sparse pictures taken by occasional observers. The situation depicted shows, in addition to the ubiquitous spread of slider turtle subspecies and hybrids in both parks, the frequent presence of other multiple genera such as Pseudemys and Graptemys. Isolated individuals of Apalone spinifera, Graptemys ouachitensis, Mauremys sinensis, Pelomedusa subrufa and Sternotherus carinatus were also found. I also detected one Emys orbicularis, probably escaped or released.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Class ◽  
Daniel Powell ◽  
Julien Terraube ◽  
Gregory F Albery ◽  
Coralie Delme ◽  
...  

Emerging infectious fungal diseases (EIFDs) represent a major conservation concern worldwide. Here, we provide early insights into the potential threat that Nannizziopsis barbatae (Nb), a novel EIFD, poses to Australian herpetological biodiversity. First known to the reptile pet trade as a primary pathogen causing untreatable severe dermatomycosis, since 2013, Nb has emerged in a growing number of phylogenetically and ecologically distant free-living reptiles across Australia. Observing its emergence in a long-term study population of wild eastern water dragons (Intellagama lesueurii), we demonstrate the pathogen′s virulence-related genomic features, within-population spatiotemporal spread, and survival costs, all of which imply that Nb could pose a threat to Australian reptiles in the future. Our findings highlight the need to closely monitor this pathogen in Australian ecosystems.


Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 478
Author(s):  
Ndivhuwo Shivambu ◽  
Tinyiko C. Shivambu ◽  
Colleen T. Downs

The pet trade is one of the main pathways of introduction of several mammals worldwide. In South Africa, non-native mammalian species are traded as pets, and so far, only four of these species are considered invasive. We used a list of 24 companion mammalian species compiled from a previous study. We selected a subset of 14 species for species distribution modeling (SDM) based on their trade popularity, invasion history and potential economic and socio-economic impacts. We aimed to estimate their potential distribution using their distribution records. Our SDM indicated that climate in South Africa was suitable for most traded species. However, commonly and easily available species had the broadest areas of suitable climates, such as house mice (Mus musculus) and Norwegian rats (Rattus norvegicus). In addition, the model with a human footprint suggested a high risk of invasion for Norwegian rats but less for house mice distribution. This assessment suggests the need of strict trade regulations and management strategies for pet mammals with broader suitability, which are already invasive, and most available for sale. In addition, our results provide a baseline approach that can be used to identify mammalian pet species with a potential risk of invasion so that urgent preventive measures can be implemented.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0256552
Author(s):  
Melissa S. Seaboch ◽  
Sydney N. Cahoon

Our research goal was to investigate the primate pet trade in the United States. While dogs and cats are the most common type of pet, there are an estimated 15,000 pet primates in the United States and the demand for exotic pets in general has been rising. Most research on pet primates occurs in habitat countries and little is known about these pets in the United States. We collected data from six exotic pet-trade websites twice a month for 12 months. We recorded the type of primate for sale, sex, age, location, and price. We used Chi-Square Goodness-of-Fit tests to compare whether the number of male and female pet primates for sale and the number of different age categories of pet primates for sale differed from equality and Spearman Correlation to examine associations between price and size and price and supply. We recorded 551 pet primates for sale between June 2019-June 2020, with 69.1% platyrrhines, 21.6% strepsirrhines, and 8.9% catarrhines. Marmosets were sold most often (36.7%, N = 202) followed by lemurs (21.6%, N = 119), capuchins (11.3%, N = 62), and squirrel monkeys (10.5%, N = 58). Almost two-thirds of the pet primates for sale were male (Chi-Square = 16.056, df = 1, P = 0. 00006) and 78.7% were under one year old (Chi-Square = 440.264, df = 2, P<0.00001). The median price was $3,800 though price was highly variable, even for the same taxa. There are several potential drivers for the primate pet trade, including media influence, fashion/status, and profitable breeding though these are not mutually exclusive. Primates do not make good pets and even when captive-bred, pet primates impact the conservation of their wild counterparts. Advertisement campaigns focusing on disease transmission and legal consequences and a federal ban on pet primate ownership are two avenues to pursue to end the ownership of pet primates in the United States.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Toomes ◽  
Pablo García‐Díaz ◽  
Oliver C. Stringham ◽  
Joshua V. Ross ◽  
Lewis Mitchell ◽  
...  

The live pet trade is a major driver of both biodiversity loss and the introduction of invasive alien species. Building a comprehensive understanding of the pet trade would improve prediction of conservation and biosecurity threats, with the aim to prevent further negative impacts. We used South Australia’s native wildlife permit reporting system as a data-rich example of a live vertebrate pet market, spanning 590 species across 105 families of terrestrial vertebrates (mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians). Using a piecewise Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach, we tested the influence of 11 a priori variables relating to pets (e.g., species traits), pet owners (e.g., socioeconomic metrics), and regulatory systems (e.g., permit requirements) on the quantities of bird and reptile captive keeping, breeding, trading, and escapes into the wild. Birds and reptiles with higher annual fecundity, as well as widely distributed reptiles with higher adult mass, were more likely to be kept in captivity and sold. Species with more stringent permit requirements were possessed, and escaped, in lower abundances. Pet keeping was weakly correlated with regions of lower population densities and higher unemployment rates, yet other socioeconomic variables were ultimately poor at explaining trade dynamics. More escapes occurred in regions which possessed larger quantities of pets, further emphasising the role of propagule pressure in the risk of pet escapes.Synthesis and applications: Species traits are a strong determinant of pet trade dynamics, yet permit systems also play a key role in de-incentivising undesirable trade practices. While our research highlights the potential of trade regulatory systems, we recommend that consistent permit category criteria are established to reduce trade in threatened species, as well as alien species of high biosecurity risk. Implementation of such systems is broadly needed across a greater diversity of wildlife markets and jurisdictions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
H S Sathya Chandra Sagar ◽  
James J Gilroy ◽  
Tom Swinfield ◽  
Ding Li Yong ◽  
Elva Gemita ◽  
...  

Tropical forest restoration stands to deliver important conservation gains in lowland Southeast Asia, which has suffered some of the world's highest rates of forest degradation and loss. This promise, however, may be undermined by defaunation driven by ubiquitous wildlife trapping in the region, particularly for forest birds that are part of the multi-million-dollar pet trade. To date, quantification of the impacts of trade-driven trapping on rates of biodiversity recovery from forest restoration has been limited. Here, we use a unique long-term survey dataset to ask how trade-driven trapping may interfere with the expected recovery of avian community under forest restoration, at a flagship ecosystem restoration site in the lowland rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. We show that tropical forest restoration is associated with the increases in the abundance of 88% of bird species over time. However, impacts of trapping within more accessible areas of the forest meant that this recovery was dampened for 74% of bird species, relative to levels expected as a result of the magnitude of forest recovery observed. Most species (80%) showed increasingly positive relationships between abundance and site remoteness over the period, a pattern that was found for both species targeted for the pet trade (85% of species) and those trapped opportunistically or as 'bycatch' (78% of species). We emphasize the urgency of tackling the emerging threat of pet trade to Southeast Asia's avian diversity, not least to ensure the effectiveness of efforts towards forest restoration.


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