ADOPT OR BUY ONLY CAPTIVE-BRED EXOTIC PETS

step #21

“If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth.”

CHIEF SEATTLE
NATIVE-AMERICAN DUWAMISH CHIEF

The plastic we use every day, on the surface, may not appear to be linked to exotic pets and dwindling rainforest animal populations, but it is. Major rainforest-destructive activities such as oil drilling and other resource extraction, logging and agriculture open inaccessible parts of the rainforest to others and cause habitat loss, making animal populations more vulnerable to illegal capture, poaching and the bushmeat trade. This emotional step addresses the survival of our beloved tropical animals. In addition to the plastic step just discussed and many others in this book, we can help save rainforest animals by making responsible exotic pet choices.

THE SCOOP

Imagine walking through beautiful, lush pristine rainforest, but there is no sound of songbirds, no clamoring monkeys—no animal sounds at all because there are no animals left. This disturbing scenario, called “empty forest syndrome,” is happening and becoming more prevalent in the rainforests of Asia, Indochina, Africa and, to a lesser extent, South America. According to Dr. Elizabeth Bennett, director of the Hunting and Wildlife Trade Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), even protected national parks in these areas are devoid of large animals due to hunting and capture for the pet trade. She says that more than 50 percent of protected rainforests in Asia are experiencing dramatic declines in larger animal species.

The international exotic animal trade—whether for bushmeat, medicines, trophies or pets—adversely impacts the rainforests of the world. Scientists are pretty certain that the long-term effects of animal loss on rainforests will become evident in about 30 to 40 years from now (that is, if any rainforest remains with today’s deforestation rates). According to Dr. Bennett, the rainforest is heavily dependent on animal pollinators, dispensers and browsers to propagate plant life. As animals disappear, we could possibly lose invaluable plant medicines or important trees for timber. Dr. Bennett says that studies have already shown that tropical forests depleted of larger animals experience reduced seed dispersal, altered patterns of tree regeneration and shifts in the relative number of species. Imagine the impact on rainforests such as the ones of Gabon, which are 80 percent dependent on animals for pollination and seed dispersal. There’s also the impact animal loss has on marginalized indigenous people who are dependent on bushmeat for protein. Tropical animal species have served as a protein source for hundreds of years for many indigenous communities, and it is now becoming difficult for them to hunt prey sustainably because animal populations are too low.

When you purchase an exotic animal, you are, in part, feeding the continued profitability of this too often destructive trade. The business of exotic and wild animals as pets in the United States is conservatively estimated to be worth $15 billion annually. The trade in wild animals worldwide is worth many more billions of dollars. Disturbingly, a full one-quarter of this trade, including the poaching of endangered tigers and elephants, is estimated to be illegal, reports Richard Farinato of the United States Humane Society. The illegal trade in exotics and their parts is believed to be the second most profitable trade on the black market, behind drugs and weapons, reports the Living Rainforest and several other sources. Eighty to 90 percent of animals caught for the exotic pet trade never make it to their destination. They die in transit.

While there are protection mechanisms in place for rare and endangered rainforest animals, enforcement is weak. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was created in 1973 to ensure that the international wild animal and plant trade does not threaten their survival. Despite the voluntary participation of 175 countries, endangered animals on the CITES list are still exported for profit. According to a representative at WCS, it’s not uncommon for an endangered exotic animal to be advertised as “captive bred” in a tropical country with CITES-approved paperwork when in reality the animal is actually wild caught and the paperwork forged. The U.S. Lacey Act has been instrumental in lessening the importation of illegal wildlife—plants and animals. But because of fewer convictions, the illegal pet trade of endangered animals continues.

China is the number-one consumer of the exotic animal trade. It is thought that the expanding middle class has an appetite for bushmeat, trophies and medicines. Surprisingly, the United States is number two, says an online report from Mongabay.com. Americans primarily import illegal tropical animals as pets, but surprisingly, there is a large market for bushmeat too. Dr. Bennett from WCS explains that it is a difficult trade to track because it is illegal, but a demand exists for bushmeat from cultures living in America who traditionally subsist on such meats—African and Asian. Animal parts are frequently valued and used for their curative properties in Asian medicines as well.

Economics also plays heavily into the problem. In a Mongabay.com report, Dr. S. Joseph Wright, a scientist with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, and his colleagues examined how land use and economic changes lead to the overexploitation of forest game. They write, “The weak economies of many tropical countries fail to provide sufficient jobs for their growing populations, while land-use change, improved infrastructure and new technology facilitate commercial hunting.” Additionally, “Land-use change brings hunters and their markets closer to previously remote forests. Improved infrastructure provides access to forest interiors over roads opened for timber and mineral extraction as well as access to distant urban markets.” Conservationists acknowledge that the problem has gotten worse in more recent years due to accessibility to remote forest with the construction of roads that go along with mining, logging and other exploitive activities. Bushmeat often feeds logging communities. We also read reports of loggers themselves hunting and participating in the exotic animal trade to supplement the very small wages they earn through their logging work. There’s no doubt that the Internet has made selling exotic animals and animal parts easier as well, Dr. Bennett confirms.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Do not feed the exotic animal trade.

While most of us are not eating illegally imported bushmeat or taking Asian medicines made of tiger bones, we possibly might want to own a parrot or an iguana, a python or a rare turtle. Based on our research, most wildlife and rainforest conservation groups strongly discourage owning exotic tropical pets at all. However, you can safely adopt and, in some cases, buy a local, captive-bred exotic pet without hurting rainforests or the animals therein.

Here’s how. First, be sure you have the time, commitment and resources to handle an exotic animal. Tropical animals have unique needs. Research the amount of care that will be required so that you are absolutely clear about what you are signing up for. Too many exotic tropical pets are surrendered to rescue centers.

Consider adopting a pet from a reputable rescue center. (To ensure it is reputable, check to see if it has nonprofit or charity status, that it has no connections with breeders and that it is well established.) There’s a huge population of relinquished tropical pets that need homes. Parrot rescue centers are particularly overwhelmed. (See our list of adoption centers at left.)

If you are unable to acquire the pet you’d like through adoption, it is possible to purchase captive-bred exotic pets. However, be sure to go to every length possible to ensure that your pet is truly captive bred and not wild caught. This is critical. Most wildlife conservation groups advise to never purchase an exotic pet from the Internet.

PARROT ADOPTION In the United States:

Parrot Adoption Education Program
www.parrothelp.org 612-210-1752

The Avian Welfare Coalition
www.avianwelfare.org

Outside the U.S.:

Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary
www.greyhaven.bc.ca 604-878-7212

Foundation Dutch Parrot Refuge
www.papegaaienpark.nl

Wobbly Parrot Rescue
www.gu rney.co.uk/parrots/44-118-9595046

RESOURCES

Wildlife Conservation Society
www.wcs.org

The Humane Society
www.hsus.org

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
www.cites.org

If you are responsible about your exotic pet adoption or purchase, you’ll be helping, in a small but profound way, rainforests to maintain their animal life and long-term health.