Endangered Animals As Pets

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says that, as of 2010, there were 18,788 species threatened with extinction. The current rate of species extinction is between 100 and 1,000 times higher than the expected natural rate, according to the World Wildlife Federation. Despite the ever-dwindling numbers, or perhaps because of them, the market for exotic and endangered pets continues to thrive.

  1. Popular Pets

    • The round eyes and soft coats of the slow loris have made the tiny creatures popular as pets. The slow loris is an endangered species that, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, may not be traded for primarily commercial purposes. This has not stopped the animals from being smuggled from the island of Sumatra to be sold in the pet markets of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. Other endangered animals that are highly sought after include lemurs, seahorses, Cercopithecus diana monkeys, and great green macaws.

    Decimating Populations

    • Although traders may claim that endangered pets are sourced from captive breeding programs, the Animal Conservation organization says that about 90 percent of animals sold on the world's markets have been illegally poached from the wild. According to Bagheera, nearly 2,000 baby orangutans were captured from the Malaysian islands of Borneo and Sumatra and shipped to Taiwan after a Taiwanese TV show featured a pet baby orangutan.

    Smuggling

    • Customs authorities around the world cite cases of endangered animals being smuggled for sale as pets. In 2010, a man was arrested for trying to smuggle titi monkeys into Mexico from Peru. The 18 endangered animals, which normally require a permit for ownership, were tied up in pouches beneath the man's shirt. The trade is a lucrative one -- a primate bought for $5 in Indonesia can fetch up to $30,000 by the time it reaches the United States or Europe, according to VOA News.

    Celebrity Pets

    • Some celebrities obtain endangered animals as a kind of status symbol. Paris Hilton had a pet kinkajou that she named "Baby Luv." Kinkajou are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Boxer Mike Tyson owned two white Bengal tigers for seven years. There are estimated to be just 133 of these animals left in the world. Tyson's tigers were re-homed in a wildlife refuge in Colorado after he filed for bankruptcy.