Pets and the pet trade

DEFINITION: Companion animals and the industry in which such animals are bought and sold, whether legally or illegally

As the buying and selling of companion animals has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry, a number of abuses have become increasingly widespread. Among these are illegal trafficking in endangered species and the maltreatment of animals as a result of efforts to increase profits.

Pets play an important part in the lives of humans. They provide many benefits, including companionship, love, humor, exercise, a sense of power, and outlets for displacement, projection, and nurturance. Studies have shown that talking to pets reduces stress, promotes feelings of reverie and comfort, and enhances longevity and physical health. Pets also play therapeutic roles, helping sick people or older adults by involving them in activities of caring, sacrifice, and companionship. Researchers have found that institutionalized older people show great signs of improvement when dogs are introduced to their environment. A 1980–81 study of patients in the hospital-based care program of a large Veterans Administration medical center showed that pet-owner patients fared better with their health issues than patients who had no pets.

The multibillion-dollar worldwide pet industry is fed by ever-growing demand for animals, domestic and exotic, legal and illegal. Because of the ongoing high demand for dogs in the United States, and thus the money that can be made from puppy sales, dramatic increases have been seen in the proliferation of dog-breeding operations known as puppy mills. Many of these operations are run by people who know little to nothing about the animals they are breeding. Puppy mills are generally characterized by the presence of unhealthy animals living in filthy conditions; the animals suffer from overcrowding, lack of veterinary care, and unsanitary food and water sources. Another mark of puppy mills is incessant breeding, with many following the unhealthy practice of breeding females twice each year, or every time they come into heat. The puppies that puppy mills sell to retail pet shops are very often malnourished and prone to illness. The operators of puppy mills often ship four-week-old dogs in crates without food or water; many die, and those that survive to be sold in pet stores commonly have ongoing health and psychological problems. In the late 2010s and 2020s, several states, including California, Illinois, and New York, banned the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores, unless the animals come from shelters or rescue groups.

In the United States, commercial dog kennels are licensed and regulated by the Department of Agriculture, which enforces the Animal Welfare Act of 1966. The regulations specify only limited standards of care; however, many activists concerned with animal rights and animal welfare have argued that the law needs revision. In the mid-2020s, the Humane Society of the United States estimated there were ten thousand known puppy mills in the nation.

Illegal Trade and Regulations

In addition to the millions of people who cherish their family cats, dogs, birds, and other domesticated animals, many wealthy collectors seek rare pets as status symbols. Illegal trade in such animals is a worldwide phenomenon. The most prominent attempt to regulate such trade is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which entered into force on July 1, 1975. This international agreement, which by 2023 had been signed by 184 countries, bans international commercial trade in and regulates and monitors trade in other threatened species. CITES classifies animal species in three appendixes based on the species’ probability of extinction. Appendix I concerns the most vulnerable species; the convention outlaws the commercial trade of live animals listed in this appendix, as well as their parts or derivatives. Animals listed in Appendix II are subject to trade under certain controls, and those in Appendix III may be traded only with export permits or certificates of origin.

Numerous examples exist of violations of the intention of CITES. In one instance, Thailand falsified a quota by issuing inexact statements concerning the number of Appendix II tortoises being shipped out of the country. Investigators found that the number of tortoises in each shipment ranged from seven to seven thousand. The implementation of regulations has increased the value of endangered animals, thus encouraging smugglers to take extreme risks to make money. In February 1995, a man was arrested for smuggling three young gibbons—a type of ape found in southeastern Asia and the East Indies—in his luggage. Two of the gibbons died of disease, and the third was placed in a zoo. The smuggler convicted of the crime was both fined and sentenced to two years in prison. In January 1996, a man returning to Japan from Thailand was arrested for attempting to bring thirty-nine Appendix II tortoises into Japan. Authorities later discovered that the same man had previously made twenty-six successful smuggling trips between Thailand and Japan. In 2023, a Canadian man was sentenced to fourteen months in prison for attempting to smuggle several species of Appendix II reptiles from the United States to Asia. The seven-year operation was responsible for the transport of over eight thousand animals.

CITES allows the transportation of animals that have been bred in captivity for commercial purposes, and illegal traffickers take advantage of this loophole, using false documentation to show that transported animals were captive-bred when they were actually taken from the wild. Another problem in upholding the intention of CITES lies in the lack of domestic reinforcement for the terms of the agreement in some nations. In Japan, for instance, pet shops and other sources continue to sell endangered species that have made their way into the country. When the provisions of CITES are not enforced, those who smuggle, buy, and sell endangered animals for profit have no motivation to stop their illegal activities.

The illegal animal trade has tremendous impacts on the animals themselves. For example, during the period 1985-90, orangutans constituted a large portion of the illegal animal trade in Taiwan; for every one of these animals that survived transportation, three or four died. Illegal transportation is almost never accompanied by proper animal care. By 2021, the illegal wildlife trade was responsible for rhinoceroses, elephants, and tigers reaching near-extinction status.

Upholding Regulations

Two cases illustrate how CITES signatory nations have worked together to uphold the convention’s regulations. Operation Chameleon and Operation Jungle Trade were two international projects implemented to stop trade in endangered animals; both of them were conducted under the jurisdiction of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

In September 1998, Operation Chameleon was instituted to stop the worldwide trade in rare reptiles, most of which were listed in the CITES Appendix II. Among the rare reptile species confiscated during the course of the operation were the Chinese alligator, the Gray’s monitor (a lizard native to the Philippines), the false gavial (a crocodile found in parts of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and southern Thailand), the spider tortoise (Madagascar), and the radiated tortoise (Madagascar). Of these, the Gray’s monitor and the spider tortoise are the only reptiles that can be traded legally with permits. At the time of the operation, the Chinese alligator was selling for as much as fifteen thousand dollars; the Gray’s monitor could sell for eight thousand dollars. Adult radiated tortoises and false gavials were worth five thousand dollars at the time, and spider tortoises sold for about two thousand dollars. Investigators were successful in shutting down a major chain of the illegal reptile trade between Asia and North America. Most of the reptiles, which originated in southeast and central Asia, New Zealand, and Madagascar, were destined for the United States.

Operation Jungle Trade sought to bring an end to the illegal trade of exotic birds across the US-Mexico border and into several other countries, including Australia, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ghana, Honduras, New Zealand, Panama, and South Africa. The operation produced forty arrests and the seizure of more than 660 exotic birds and other animals. Most of the confiscated animals were native Mexican species listed under CITES Appendix I. During Operation Jungle Trade, law-enforcement officials from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Panama worked together to document criminal activity and gather evidence, carrying out more than forty separate but related investigations all over the world.

US Regulations

In the United States, the Lacey Act of 1900 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 gave the responsibility of controlling the import and export of wildlife to the Department of the Interior. The United States is a member of CITES through the Endangered Species Act, in which the convention’s regulations and guidelines are made law. The Department of the Interior carries out its obligations by designating specific ports of entry for wildlife, providing inspectors for each port to monitor shipments of wildlife, and issuing licenses to commercial wildlife traders. Furthermore, the department cooperates with other US federal organizations and other countries to monitor and investigate possible animal trade violations. In 2016, Congress passed the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act, which sought to identify source and destination nations in the illegal wildlife trade and dismantle the criminal networks involved.

The US Customs Service has primary responsibility for the inspection and clearance of all goods imported to the United States, including animals. Legal support is provided by attorneys from the Wildlife and Marine Resources Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the US Department of Justice. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture is responsible for enforcing regulations regarding the quarantine of all birds and specific mammals upon entry to the United States. Quarantine is a critical aspect of the importation of animals. Species from South America, for example, may carry specific strains of diseases or viruses not already present in North America and thus may endanger existing animal populations. Because illegal smuggling operations bypass quarantines and health inspections, they increase the likelihood that diseases may be imported and spread to other animals or humans.

Bibliography

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