Endangered species convention proposing new rules for growing global trade in exotic pets

A growing exotic pet trade has conservationists calling for stronger regulations to protect the reptiles, birds, and other animals in the wild that are increasingly showing up for sale on internet marketplaces and becoming popular on social media. The two-week 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) ran from November 24 to December 5, 2025, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Several proposals related to the pet trade were considered during the conference. Participants have proposed tighter regulations or complete bans on the trade of several species, including iguanas from the Galapagos Islands, more than a dozen species of Latin American tarantulas, and an odd-looking turtle from Africa. In the past, the trade was dominated by sales in animal parts like elephant ivory and tiger bones. But the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said live animals for the pet trade are increasingly turning up on the internet. Several of the species proposed for greater protection at the CITES conference are in Latin America, where an IFAW report last year found illegal trade is on the rise. The report, covering 18 Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, says there were more than 100,000 animals seized or poached from 2017 to 2022, with seizures increasing every year. The report found the live pet trade accounted for a growing piece of the trade, with reptiles representing about 60% of the animals, while nearly 30% were birds, and more than 10% were amphibians. Many animals were traded locally or regionally, but there was also evidence of animals shipped to collectors in Europe, Asia, and the United States. This article was provided by The Associated Press.