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25 Results Found

  • Review
  • Open Access
18 Citations
14,901 Views
14 Pages

Blind Trading: A Literature Review of Research Addressing the Welfare of Ball Pythons in the Exotic Pet Trade

  • Jennah Green,
  • Emma Coulthard,
  • David Megson,
  • John Norrey,
  • Laura Norrey,
  • Jennifer K. Rowntree,
  • Jodie Bates,
  • Becky Dharmpaul,
  • Mark Auliya and
  • Neil D’Cruze

22 January 2020

Extensive numbers of Ball pythons are caught, bred, traded and subsequently kept in captivity across the world as part of the exotic pet industry. Despite their widespread availability as pets, relatively little is known about the potential welfare c...

  • Review
  • Open Access
16 Citations
6,979 Views
22 Pages

15 October 2021

The trade of non-native pets, especially of non-domesticated and exotic animals, and their subsequent release and establishment of populations is one of the major pathways of introduction for invasive alien reptiles, amphibia, birds and mammals. Here...

  • Article
  • Open Access
40 Citations
15,230 Views
15 Pages

Endangered Exotic Pets on Social Media in the Middle East: Presence and Impact

  • Leonarda B. Spee,
  • Susan J. Hazel,
  • Eleonora Dal Grande,
  • Wayne S.J. Boardman and
  • Anne-Lise Chaber

24 July 2019

The popularization of exotic pets on celebrity social media in the Middle East has led to questionable impacts on exotic pet demand and threats to species conservation. The objective of this study was to identify exotic animal species featured on Mid...

  • Article
  • Open Access
51 Citations
18,259 Views
38 Pages

Turning Negatives into Positives for Pet Trading and Keeping: A Review of Positive Lists

  • Elaine Toland,
  • Monica Bando,
  • Michèle Hamers,
  • Vanessa Cadenas,
  • Rob Laidlaw,
  • Albert Martínez-Silvestre and
  • Paul van der Wielen

10 December 2020

The trading and keeping of exotic pets are associated with animal welfare, conservation, environmental protection, agricultural animal health, and public health concerns and present serious regulatory challenges to legislators and enforcers. Most leg...

  • Article
  • Open Access
61 Citations
12,103 Views
14 Pages

10 November 2020

Direct exploitation is one of the five main reasons for the loss of biodiversity, and collections for the international pet trade are an ongoing threat for many reptiles and amphibians. The European Union and in particular Germany have a central role...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
3,344 Views
14 Pages

South Africa as a Donor of Its Native and Exotic Species to the International Pet Trade

  • Ndivhuwo Shivambu,
  • Tinyiko Cavin Shivambu,
  • Takalani Nelufule,
  • Moleseng Claude Moshobane,
  • Nimmi Seoraj-Pillai and
  • Tshifhiwa Constance Nangammbi

12 October 2024

The global pet trade is a thriving multibillion-dollar industry, involving the international exchange of various species and regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). South Africa plays...

  • Article
  • Open Access
23 Citations
11,340 Views
24 Pages

Risky Business: Live Non-CITES Wildlife UK Imports and the Potential for Infectious Diseases

  • Jennah Green,
  • Emma Coulthard,
  • John Norrey,
  • David Megson and
  • Neil D’Cruze

11 September 2020

International wildlife trade is recognised as a major transmission pathway for the movement of pathogenic organisms around the world. The UK is an active consumer of non-native live wild animals and is therefore subject to the risks posed by pathogen...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
2 Citations
7,056 Views
10 Pages

Pet Macaques in Vietnam: An NGO’s Perspective

  • Brooke Catherine Aldrich and
  • David Neale

30 December 2020

In this article, we attempt to characterize the widespread trade in pet macaques in Vietnam. Data on confiscations as well as surrenders, releases, and individuals housed at rescue centers across Vietnam for 2015–2019 were opportunistically rec...

  • Article
  • Open Access
26 Citations
16,020 Views
17 Pages

Dropping the Ball? The Welfare of Ball Pythons Traded in the EU and North America

  • Neil D’Cruze,
  • Suzi Paterson,
  • Jennah Green,
  • David Megson,
  • Clifford Warwick,
  • Emma Coulthard,
  • John Norrey,
  • Mark Auliya and
  • Gemma Carder

2 March 2020

Ball pythons (family Pythonidae) remain a commonly exploited species, readily available for purchase in North America and Europe. We assessed the housing conditions of more than 5000 Ball pythons across six exotic pet expositions and 113 YouTube vide...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
4,340 Views
9 Pages

17 April 2023

Currently, the illegal wildlife trade is one of the most profitable illegal enterprises in the world. The aim of our study was to determine the situation with respect to wildlife trade in Slovenia, which is mainly a transit country, before changes to...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
4,488 Views
17 Pages

Assessment of Animal Welfare at an Exotic Animal Fair in Poland: A Focus on the Quality of Exhibition Containers for Reptiles and Amphibians

  • Damian Zieliński,
  • Piotr Nawłatyna,
  • Zofia Wójcik,
  • Barbara Sobieszek,
  • Arkadiusz Słaby,
  • Martyna Nolewajka and
  • Joanna Kapustka

25 June 2024

Given the growing number of events involving exotic animals, it is crucial to prioritize the well-being of the animals involved. This study aims to evaluate the quality of animal presentation at a selected fair in Poland and assess the level of anima...

  • Review
  • Open Access
67 Citations
32,190 Views
22 Pages

17 October 2019

We searched a selection of the scientific literature to document evidence for, and explorations into reptile sentience. The intention of this review was to highlight; (1) to what extent reptile capability for emotions have been documented in the scie...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3,370 Views
15 Pages

1 September 2025

Illegal wildlife trade is a major global driver of biodiversity loss, shaped by high consumer demand, transboundary networks, and uneven enforcement. In the Middle East, particularly the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, factors such as high pur...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
10,241 Views
32 Pages

On the Record: An Analysis of Exotic Pet Licences in the UK

  • Angie Elwin,
  • Jennah Green and
  • Neil D’Cruze

10 December 2020

Keeping exotic pets has become a popular habit in the UK in recent decades. Yet, information on the current scale of the trade and the diversity of animals involved is lacking. Here, we review the licensed sale of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mam...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,708 Views
20 Pages

A Study on Small-Scale Snake Image Classification Based on Improved SimCLR

  • Lingyan Li,
  • Ruiqing Kang,
  • Wenjie Huang and
  • Wenhui Feng

3 June 2025

The exotic pet trade is a major driver of alien species invasions. Improper introductions or a lack of management can result in severe ecological consequences. Therefore, accurate identification of exotic pets is essential for the prevention and earl...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,126 Views
22 Pages

25 July 2025

The number of puppies imported to the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) is increasing, as are concerns about the legality, welfare and potential disease risks associated with their trade. This study aimed to use an online survey to col...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
3,645 Views
17 Pages

Risk Communication on Zoonoses and Antimicrobial Resistance—How Do Exotic Pet Owners Perceive the Communication of Their Veterinarians?

  • Amelie Lisa Arnecke,
  • Stefan Schwarz,
  • Antina Lübke-Becker,
  • Katharina Charlotte Jensen,
  • Christina Herre and
  • Mahtab Bahramsoltani

10 July 2024

Exotic animals traded and kept as pets can transmit a variety of diseases to humans and other animals, and vice versa. Therefore, it is essential for pet owners, particularly vulnerable groups, to be informed about associated risks. Veterinarians pla...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,660 Views
13 Pages

Turtles for Sale: Species Prevalence in the Pet Trade in Poland and Potential Introduction Risks

  • Jakub Badziukiewicz,
  • Milena Bors,
  • Rafał Maciaszek and
  • Wiesław Świderek

16 September 2025

The popularity of exotic animals, including turtles, kept as pets, has grown steadily in recent decades. Limited awareness of the biological and ecological requirements of these species, combined with insufficient regulation in the pet trade, has con...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
36 Citations
12,534 Views
10 Pages

Trading Tactics: Time to Rethink the Global Trade in Wildlife

  • Neil D’Cruze,
  • Jennah Green,
  • Angie Elwin and
  • Jan Schmidt-Burbach

21 December 2020

The Covid-19 outbreak has brought about fresh and intensified scrutiny of the wildlife trade, which substantively involves commerce in exotic pets. In response, major policy decisions involving trade bans have ensued, with calls for similar such acti...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
5,125 Views
13 Pages

Alien Freshwater Turtles in Greece: Citizen Science Reveals the Hydra-Headed Issue of the Pet Turtle Trade

  • Konstantinos Kalaentzis,
  • Christos Kazilas,
  • Ilias Strachinis,
  • Elias Tzoras and
  • Petros Lymberakis

20 May 2023

Citizen science is emerging as a powerful tool for the early detection of biological invasions. The exotic pet trade has been deemed as the most significant cause of establishment for reptiles, and among them, turtles have the highest number of intro...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2,276 Views
18 Pages

A One Health Perspective on Multidrug Resistance Amongst Iberian Exotic Pet Owners

  • Fábio Cardoso-Freitas,
  • Stéphanie M. Mota,
  • Vanessa Silva,
  • Albert Martinez-Silvestre,
  • Ângela Martins and
  • Patrícia Poeta

16 January 2025

Understanding owners’ realities and perceptions may be crucial to helping veterinarians be more effective in their daily work. Noticing the lack of publications in this area, specifically on exotic pets, prompted us to gather insights into non-...

  • Article
  • Open Access
65 Citations
26,793 Views
18 Pages

3 March 2021

Reptiles are one of the most popular exotic pets in the world, with over a third of all described species currently being traded. However, the most commonly available reptiles are typically non-threatened, captive-bred, and/or domestically obtained,...

  • Commentary
  • Open Access
573 Views
11 Pages

Mpox Insights: From Structure to Human Cell Interaction

  • Md S. Zaman,
  • Robert C. Sizemore,
  • Draven Rodriguez,
  • Emilio Lopez,
  • S. M. Golam Alam,
  • Suleyman Tufa,
  • Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga,
  • Nuraly S. Akimbekov and
  • Mohammed S. Razzaque

21 November 2025

Mpox, a zoonotic viral disease, has emerged as a global concern due to outbreaks in both endemic and non-endemic regions in 2022. Rodents, including African squirrels and Gambian pouched rats, are suspected key reservoirs, with human infections occur...

  • Brief Report
  • Open Access
16 Citations
2,968 Views
8 Pages

26 December 2020

Tick-borne agents constitute a growing concern for human and animal health worldwide. Hyalomma aegyptium is a hard tick with a three-host life cycle, whose main hosts for adults are Palearctic tortoises of genus Testudo. Nevertheless, immature ticks...

  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
94 Citations
17,021 Views
24 Pages

21 April 2018

Many issues and complications in treating snakebite are a result of poor human social, economic and clinical intervention and management. As such, there is scope for significant improvements for reducing incidence and increasing patient outcomes. Sna...