Wildlife Trafficking: Human-Wildlife Conflicts in the Illegal Exotic Pet Trade
Category: Community Engagement Poster
Author(s): Elena Canton
Presenter(s): Elena Canton
Mentors(s): Veronica Yovovich
The exotic animal trade has run rampant across the globe, with the United States being one of the leading perpetrators of illegal wildlife importation. Thousands of different species are imported to the U.S. every year as pets, and the lucrative industry that wildlife traffickers have built brings in billions of dollars every year. This issue not only introduces potentially dangerous species to novel environments, but increases risks of human-wildlife conflicts such as invasive species release and zoonotic disease transfer. Animals are not the only affected party however, as the need for policies to regulate the pet trade around the world as well as the lack of concern for animal welfare also cause conflict between human groups such as exotic pet owners and suppliers, and animal welfare groups. With this project I will create a management plan that mitigates the harm that the illegal wildlife trade brings to both humans and animals by finding a common ground between stakeholder groups. I will also suggest methods to regulate the number of animals seized from their native habitats, as well as improve the unethical treatment towards exotic animals in the pet trade.