the exotic animal market | Italy

1.1 Definition and scope of study

An exotic pet is defined as any pet other than a dog, a cat, or a farm animal. This encompasses many species of animals, including pocket pets, birds, reptiles, fish and amphibians, in addition to animals that are less often considered such as primates, kangaroos, pot-bellied pigs and big cats. The exotic animal trade was one of the first to develop on the planet, even before gold, and nothing indicates that it has lost its intensity over time. On the contrary, it represents a growing and constantly evolving market with a strong fashion effect that can quickly propel certain species to the top of the sales charts.

The demand for exotic pets is very heterogeneous in the world; the United States and China are the main importers, closely followed by the European Union. More than 60 million pets live in Italians’ homes. According to data from the 2016 Italy Report compiled by Eurispes, nearly half of Italians indeed have a pet (43.3%), and perhaps even more than one: in 60.8% of cases is a dog , once out of two a cat (49.3%) then, fish and turtles (both at 8.7%), birds (5.4%), rabbits (5.2%), hamsters (3.1%) and exotic animals (2.1%) follow at a distance.

The trade of exotic animals is a tricky business as many exotic species are traded illegally, despite the safety concerns and damage the market can cause to populations in the wild. An opinion poll conducted by Savanta ComRes for Eurogroup for Animals and a number of its member associations provides very strong support for guiding future decisions on the trade and conservation of exotic animals, as pets. The vast majority of respondents to this poll in all countries involved in the survey (87%), agree that exotic animals should not be kept as pets, that trade should be better regulated (92% European, 89% Italian) and that the EU should play a leading role in this area as part of EU market rules (88% European, 82% Italian).