An Inside Look at the Exotic Animal Trade: Profiles by VICE (2024)

FAQs

What are 3 examples of exotic animals? ›

Honey bears, sugar gliders, corn snakes, green iguanas, black panthers, rosy boas, flying squirrels, bearded dragons, veiled chameleons, spotted pythons, leopard geckos, even poison dart frogs and pot-bellied pigs-these are just some of the exotic animals people sell as pets.

For the moment, the biggest dollar demand is for such exotics as ostriches and South American humpless camels such as llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicunas.

Sugar gliders, hedgehogs, pythons – even lions and chimpanzees are kept as pets. Where do exotic pets come from? Though genetically the same as their wild brethren, some exotic pets are bred in captivity for retail sale. Others are captured directly from the wild.

Some animals like African Gray Parrots, cuddly Asian Otters, and squirrels are desired as pets, pangolin meat and shark fins as a delicacy; and the body parts of tigers, bears, and pangolins are used in traditional Asian medicines; while elephant ivory, and tiger skins and bones are often traded as souvenirs or as a ...

The term “Big Five” originally referred to the difficulty in hunting the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo. These five large African mammal species were known to be dangerous and it was considered a feat by trophy hunters to bring them home.

Reptiles and birds are among the most commonly trafficked species because they can be easily transported.

Beef cattle are considered the most profitable livestock and easiest to raise for profit, but homesteaders with small acreage won't be able to raise cattle. Cattle, whether you want beef or dairy cattle, require plenty of good-quality pasture, supplemental hay, fresh water, room to roam, and veterinarian care.

Goat farming is one of the most profitable business livestock farming business. Goat gives us milk and meat. Goat farming is a low-investment & high-profit livestock farming business. They don't need a big area for housing due to their small body size in comparison to other livestock animals.

Why do people buy exotic animals? ›

1. There are so many varied species that owning an exotic animal can be an incredible learning experience. Exotic pets are fascinating. With their unique behaviors and incredible social interactions with each other and with us, they really can teach us all sorts of new information.

Pangolins, the scaly anteaters of Asia and Africa, are the most illegally traded mammal in the world.

The cost to kill a lioness can be up to $9,500 in South Africa, whereas a lion can set a hunter back $23,000, $30,000 for a white lion or $35,000 for a black mane lion, similar to Cecil.

Trophy Parts – status symbols or good luck charms

A live adult tiger can be purchased for two hundred dollars in America. Tiger skins can be found on Craigslist for between $5,000 and $10,000. The tiger's head, paws, skin, claws, teeth, eyes and other parts as well as its meat are sold into the black market.

The “Super 7” in Madikwe – Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, Buffalos, Leopards, Cheetahs and Wild Dogs.

Most are in Florida, which has 60 exotic species of amphibians and reptiles. Hawai'i comes in second place with 30. No other states reach such high numbers, but most states have at least one.

Dogs and cats are the most popular types of pets among both exotic and all pet owners. One-third of Exotic Pet Owners own birds, the next most common pet following dogs and cats. Turtles, lizards and snakes are also very popular species among Americans, albeit to a far lesser degree than dogs, cats and birds.

Exotic cats range in price from a $900.00 Bobcat to a $7500.00 tiger cub. Most of the mid-size cats, like Servals and Caracals, cost $1700.00 to $2800.00 and Ocelots can run as high as $15,000.00. The more rare the cat, the higher the price.

Boar. A Chinese astrology sign as well as a Feng Shui animal, a boar, also known as the pig, activates the wealth area of the house, which is usually in the southeast corner. This animal is often used to collect money and that is why money is usually saved in piggy banks.

What is the most expensive animal tag? ›

Marked as one of the most endangered and rare species of planet earth, the white rhinoceros top the list of expensive trophy hunts. Hunters agree to pay a whopping $125,000 or more for hunting down these precious creations. After the hunt, their sharp horns become the trophy.

Meat Chickens

First on our list of meat to raise at home are chickens. They're considered the “gateway” animal because they're fairly easy to raise, they take up very little space, and they can be raised in about 8-12 weeks.

Chickens are generally a low-cost farm animal; the feed is cheap, and they love to eat all of your scraps. It only takes a few minutes per day to take care of chickens. You have to feed and water them, and you will need to make sure they're protected at night.

The product of an acre of land, when ftd to hogs, produces five times as much meat as when fed to any other farm animal.

Sheep are one of the first farmed animals, reared for thousands of years for meat and milk. Similar to goats in terms of being relatively low maintenance, sheep can suit different sizes of farms. They are also great for beginners.

#1: Dogs. Dogs are the most popular pet in the world.

1. Dogs. Dogs come in at number one, with48.3 million households owning dogs in the United States, making these four-legged friends one of the most popular pets around. For people who live active lives and love giving out belly rubs, dog ownership can be a rewarding experience.

Dogs love their owners 5 times more than cats do, study says

Our love is chemical, say scientists, so that's how they measured it.

The passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) became extinct at 1 p.m. on 1 September 1914 with the death of Martha, the last surviving member of the species, at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Hedgehogs

By far the easiest exotic animal to care for, hedgehogs are ideal for someone who wants a pet but who doesn't have a significant amount of time or resources to devote to their care and attention. Hedgehogs require a simple terrestrial enclosure big enough for them to run around and play in.

What exotic animals are friendly to humans? ›

Which Country Has the Most Exotic Animals? Again, Brazil is on this list. Brazil actually has the largest number of animal species considered pets.

Saucedo said drug traffickers often keep exotic animals as a symbol of status and power, imitating the Colombian drug lords of the 1980s and 90s. “Mexican drug traffickers copied from the narcos of the Medellin cartel the custom of acquiring exotic animals and setting up private zoos,” said Saucedo.

Many wild animals carry zoonotic diseases (illnesses that can be transferred from animals to humans), such as Brucellosis, Salmonella and Ringworm. They often carry parasites, as well, that can be transmitted to humans or other pets. Any way you look at it, keeping a wild animal as a pet is a dangerous proposition.

As such, pangolins are now believed to be the most trafficked mammal in the world. The rate at which these animals are traded across international borders is staggering. Some estimates calculate that an average of approximately 100,000 pangolins are poached and shipped into China and Vietnam every year.

The golden triangle of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar is a global hub for illegal wildlife trade and trafficking. China is the largest importer of illegal wildlife and animal products, driving demands for animals from around the world.

Birds are the most common contraband; the State Department estimates that two million to five million wild birds, from hummingbirds to parrots to harpy eagles, are traded illegally worldwide every year. Millions of turtles, crocodiles, snakes and other reptiles are also trafficked, as well as mammals and insects.

The Humane Society's investigation found giraffe products being sold for up to $8,000, including full taxidermy pieces, skulls, giraffe hair bracelets and feet. The organization reported that more than one giraffe per day is being imported into the U.S. by American trophy hunters.

Livers come in second, worth about $557,000 and kidneys cost about $262,000 each. Not to speak about human skin ($10/inch), stomach ($500), and eyeballs ($1,500 each). Unsurprisingly, organs are offered for less on the black market – but you never know where those body parts come from.

How much does a dead lion cost? ›

$550 per gun per day. $14,500 for a buffalo or $22,000 for a lion (trophy fees vary according to animal) Air transport, taxidermy, trophy packing and shipping extra.

Mike Tyson was the proud owner of three pet tigers in the 1990s/2000s and paid $50,000 each for them.

Sale of products made from those species is generally prohibited. If the coat is made from a listed animal, sale will be prohibited (see http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/species.php for species). Tigers are protected under both international law (CITES) and federal law (the Endangered Species Act, among others).

A single tiger can be worth over $15,000 – more than most poor people in the region make over years. Recent conservation efforts have increased the number of wild Siberian tigers but continued efforts will be needed to ensure their survival.

An example of an exotic species is the introduction of the Nile perch into Lake Victoria which caused the extinction of 200 species of cichlid fish. Another example is the introduction of Eucalyptus from Australia to the Western Ghats which became highly invasive and has created a menace.

Something so unusual that it must be from some unfamiliar place is exotic. An exotic pet might be a panda, instead of a hamster.

The definition of a wild or exotic animal is one that does not belong to one of seven domesticated species: dogs, cats, horses, pigs, cows, sheep or goats. Many people also consider the ferret (Mustela putorius furo) a domesticated animal.

"Exotic" often refers to a species which is not native or indigenous to the owner's locale, and "pet" is a companion animal living with people. However, many use the term to include native species as well (e.g., snakes may sometimes be considered exotic as pets even in places where they are found in the wild).

The rarest animal in the world is the vaquita (Phocoena sinus). It is a kind of critically endangered porpoise that only lives in the furthest north-western corner of the Gulf of California in Mexico. There are only 18 left in the world. It is thought that they may be extinct in ten years.

So, opposite of 'Exotic' will be Option D, 'Conventional' which means normal or ordinary.

What is exotic looking? ›

strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance. an exotic hairstyle.