How has the increasing awareness of environmental issues affected the exotic pet trade over the years? Has the environmental movement shrank it?

                                                          Source: sciencemag.org



The economic principle I’m exploring is “Institutions are the ‘rules of the game’ that influence choices.”

My research question to help me study the economic principle is “How does the varying legality of exotic pet ownership around the world influence the exotic pet trade?”

 My sub-research question is “How has the increasing awareness of environmental issues affected the trade over the years? Has the environmental movement shrank it?”

 An article published on the website EarthTimes titled “More Awareness and Information for Potential Exotic Pet Owners” by Tamara Croes demonstrates this economic principle by showing that sometimes it’s not necessarily legality that influences people’s choices altogether, but rather popular culture and general awareness of the world that has a stronger impact.

 First, I found that according to the American Center,“The modern day environmental movement in the United States began in the in 1960s and 1970s.” and it “was originally focused on a few prominent environmental issues and disasters” rather than larger, more general movements (like sustainability or species conservation). Though it’s become much more varied and mainstream than it was 40-50 years ago, some of the more specific sub-movements still haven’t gained much recognition.

 Second, I found that while environmental awareness has grown in public consciousness, ironically, so has exotic pet ownership. As observed in the article “Young Collectors, Traders Help Fuel a Boom in Ultra-Exotic Pets” by Rachael Bale (which was cited in a previous post) “Not surprisingly, sales of a particular animal increase enormously when they are featured in a popular movie.” Though a person may be pretty environmentally aware in other aspects of their life - recycling, saving power, avoiding unnecessary waste - they may still be victim of the influence of popular culture, and decide on buying an exotic pet without sufficient research beforehand if they’re enthused enough by its appearance in a movie, for example.

Third, I’d like to point out that while general, overall environmental awareness may have grown over time, there’s still not much information or awareness about the issues raised by exotic animals as pets. Often, people have no context or proper information as to where their pet came from, or whether or not it’s ethical to keep one in the first place. An article by Tamara Croes on the organization EarthTimes’s website (mentioned earlier on in this post) focuses on some of the most prominent issues of this trade and how few people are aware of them. Though not many people would be surprised that “The illegal trade in wildlife could cause many already endangered species to become extinct” or that “Transportation can be fatal to as many as 70% of the animals”, there are a host of other problems that few are aware of. For example, a prominent problem “is the accidental or deliberate release of pets into the wild” which can endanger native species and the ecological balance. Additionally, the trafficking of exotic animals has contributed to “the spread of diseases” that would otherwise never appear in the U.S. The organization EcoHealth Alliance “recently issued a press release addressing the problems caused by keeping exotic animals as pets and calling for more education of the public and better awareness” in the hopes that “Better awareness and information could help potential pet owners to make a more responsible choice, preferably not to buy an exotic pet.”


In my next blog post I will research the question: Has making the exotic pet trade entirely illegal (in the US) actually damaged the market? Or has it only strengthened its appeal to buyers?