The trade of wild animals kept as pets is a significant and growing issue in the European Union (E.U.), which serves as a major hub. The practice poses a triple threat: it causes immense suffering to individual animals, endangers public health through the spread of disease, and harms ecosystems through the introduction of invasive species.

In this report, the rescue organization Animal Advocacy and Protection makes the case for an E.U.-wide, legally binding “positive list” to address these challenges. A positive list is a preventative policy that specifies which animal species are permitted to be kept by private individuals based on scientific risk assessments. Any species not on the list would be prohibited, shifting the regulatory focus from reacting to problems to preventing them from occurring in the first place.

The report compiles data from various sources, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and the Successful Wildlife Crime Prosecution in Europe (SWiPE) project, into a series of dashboards. These dashboards highlight the fragmented and inconsistent nature of current regulations across 15 of the 27 E.U. member states, which creates legal loopholes and hinders enforcement. The report also notes that a lack of standardized reporting and surveillance makes it impossible to grasp the true scale of the exotic pet trade and its consequences.

The Triple Threat

Millions of wild animals are traded in Europe every year to be kept as pets. Not only are their living conditions often terrible, but the animals themselves can pose a threat to human health and, if they escape or are released outdoors, a risk to the environment as well.

Animal Welfare Impacts

Wild animals have complex behavioral, psychological, and physiological needs that can’t be met in a domestic setting, leading to severe welfare issues, neglect, and abandonment.

Rescue centers like Animal Advocacy and Protection are overwhelmed with requests, taking in hundreds of animals who were illegally traded or improperly kept. The ultimate goal, as the report states, should be to make rescue centers unnecessary by stopping the problem at its source.

Public Health Risks

The exotic pet trade is a known driver of zoonoses, diseases transmissible from animals to humans. A previous Animal Advocacy and Protection study found that almost 14% of the wild animals it rescued between 2016 and 2021 carried at least one potentially dangerous zoonosis. For those who were found as strays — meaning they’d likely escaped or been released — that figure jumped to 50%.

The report highlights the spread of raccoon roundworm in Europe and notes that reptiles and amphibians are well-established vectors for Salmonella. These risks undermine the E.U.’s “One Health” approach, which recognizes the link between human, animal, and environmental health.

Biodiversity Concerns

When wild animals kept as pets escape or are released, they can establish themselves as invasive species, disrupting ecosystems, outcompeting native animals, and spreading pathogens. For example, the amphibian pet trade introduced a deadly chytrid fungus to Europe that has devastated native frog, toad, and salamander populations. Managing invasive species already costs the E.U. an estimated €12 billion each year.

Furthermore, the report notes that existing international frameworks like CITES are insufficient, as around 70% of wild animal species traded in the E.U. aren’t on the CITES list and are therefore largely unmonitored.

A Proactive Solution

This report is a direct call to action for policymakers to adopt an E.U.-wide positive list during the current legislative mandate. Animal Advocacy and Protection argues that a patchwork of national laws isn’t enough to address a cross-border issue within the E.U.’s single market. Eight member states have already implemented some form of a positive list, including Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, and the Netherlands. This demonstrates that the model is gaining popularity as a best-practice approach for tackling the exotic pet trade.

For animal advocates, this report provides a powerful, evidence-based tool for lobbying and campaigning. The key takeaways include:

• Use the data: The report’s dashboards offer concrete data on the scale of the trade and its impacts on animal welfare, public health, and biodiversity that can be used in communications with policymakers and the public.
• Frame the solution: A positive list is a proactive, preventative, and science-based solution that aligns with the E.U.’s existing commitments to animal welfare, public health, and biodiversity protection.
• Focus on the triple threat: Emphasizing the interconnected risks to animals, people, and the environment can build a broader coalition of support for regulatory action.

By acting now, the E.U. has an opportunity to close dangerous regulatory loopholes and establish itself as a global leader in animal welfare and conservation.

This summary was drafted by a large language model (LLM) and closely edited by our Research Library Manager for clarity and accuracy. As per our AI policy, Faunalytics only uses LLMs to summarize very long reports (50+ pages) that are not appropriate to assign to volunteers, as well as studies that contain graphic descriptions of animal cruelty or animal industries. We remain committed to bringing you reliable data, which is why any AI-generated work will always be reviewed by a human.