China's Demand for Exotic Pets Brings Business, and Concern | National Geographic
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- Exotic pet ownership in China is booming. The country is seeing a sharp increase in the number of non-traditional pets, and one young collector is looking to profit from the demand. However, the lines between legal and illegal trade of wildlife are blurred.
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China's Demand for Exotic Pets Brings Business, and Concern | National Geographic
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I hate people who buy pets just because they look cool but don't put in the effort to learn and take care of them. These people are found everywhere around the globe
My mum wants a pet duck, vso imma do lots of research on how to care for them properly
I did 2 hours research for my frog lol
I got a human pet from Libya
need more Chinese like the lady that rescue birds and animals, hats off to her=)
Honestly, he looks like he takes good care of his animals. His rack system is gorgeous and his leopard gecko looks great!
Lauren Serrano that doesn't give him the right to lock them up when they belong in the wild
B vegan Now I disagree, so long as the animals are kept in proper healthy living conditions, I see no reason why they shouldn't be kept as pets. However, I don't condone the senseless taking of wild animals for the pet trade, but managed collection can actually be healthy for an ecosystem. Plus, the money that legit operations use for licenses and permits to collect animals actually go to help fund conservation and protect them from illegal poaching!
I've worked at some of the top zoos in the US and am a conservation biology major.
Lauren Serrano they want to be free and they belong in the wild. stop being a hypocrite. how can that help the ecosystem taking out a price that is part of an ecosystem. in what case does the money go for that.
zoos r immoral. protect the animals in the wild snd protect their natural habitat in the wild. one of the top causes of animal endangerment is animal ag. being vegan and promoting veganism is one of the best ways to help endangered animals.
B vegan Now k
1. None of the animals shown in his possesion are endangered and has been captively bred all over the globe, so 'taking them away from their place in the wild' ? Not really. They were never from the wild to begin with and will probably die if set out in the wild, especially that leopard gecko that has an unusual color morph. Those kinds of reptiles are better off in the proper care of people.
2. Yes wild caught animals are really immoral and most of them become stressed or refuse to eat. But captive bred ones will live just as long, if not longer than the wild ones.
You seem to have a radical view of this topic, thinking that banning all pet trades is the solution to this problem. No, having more responsible and well funded captive breeders will ensure people only get their animals from these breeders and not from the wild, if you ban all exotic breeders, then all you will do is strenghten the already illegal poachers.
It's not only in China but in the whole world
Exactly right!
The problem with China is that they have the ability to consume in large number and produce in large numbers without regulation
Pls don’t have those stereotypes for all chinese. I am a chinese, my friends and families and all the people I know , they never eat dogs and never feed wild animals! I think every nations have some people with bad habits, especially those old countries. Eating dog is a very ancient custom from Yuan Dynasty and it just exists in a few areas of South China. Most Chinese love any animals! we are trying to get rid of every bad habits, but China has so many people and long history, we need some times to change! Excuse my English. 😔😔😔😔😔
Z Felixxx . I hope that is true. I adore my dog and to see rows and rows vendors in pile on dog meat soliciting to buy is 💔.
kellen7425 maybe try exposing yourself to other people's culture/country 1st rather than looking at videos or news with political agenda. And FYI eating of dogs are not only done by these minorities in China. Hawaii ate their own native dog species to extinction and in Sweden some minorities still eat dog meat and in pasir there were dog butchers in the past . If the media is that noble in attempting stopping consumption of dog meat, why don't they bring up these other cases? Why only pinpoint the problem to Asia or rather mainly China. Don't you find it really really bias and ridiculous?
Yay! Someone finally adresses the real situation! Thank you so much for this comment, I wish so badly that I could do more than just liking it! :D
Z Felixxx your English is perfect
Stop lying. Chinese feast on dogs like a Thanksgiving turkey
200 Million live animals are imported into the United States each Year. (Source this video)
If this bothers you, do something. Report black market/ illegal/exotic animal/pet trading/sales. Could possibly be more helpful than trolling China on TH-cam
Or we could tax every single thing that comes from china as the president wants. Everything will be documented when imported and it will be easier to catch illegal pet trades unless they smuggle.
I suspect most of the 200 Million "live animals" are fish. And most of these are captive bred. Those don't pose a problem to biodiversity, and relatively little to the environment in general.
yes!!! thank you! China is not the only country that sells Exotics pets! a lot of other country do! Ex: Japan large pet store sells a lot of Exotics animal there and they also kept them in cages! and sell them! and the USA sells reptiles and Exotics pet too from websites and etc.! so whats the difference??
Andreas Klostermann uh, actually, remember the lionfish? They are imported to be kept at aquarium, but they are released to the ocean. And now, since they have no natural predators, they are breeding like crazy and eating every native fish in the waters.
But then how would we get parrots/foxes/various snakes?
Keep wild animals in the wild
This is the reason why we are need to do something about it instead of just talking... :(
Most wild animals would prefer to live with us given the chance.
Jarid Gaming would you rather love in your house or a cave
Jarid Gaming do you have you have any pets and what kind
@G Kim and you're not lmfao ? I know many animals like the reptiles would prefer to live with us predator free and food and water always available, it's a free living like if we never had to pay to for rent mortgage or food it's a luxury under the right keepers of course
No animal is low maintenance. It takes a commitment to care for any creature you own.
Really? And what about the present market for pets in the United States? How's that going?
I was wondering about the same... Especially when i saw all the snakes and reptiles i was thinking that this already had became standard here in the west! XD
+GermanCurl Not just common, but the pet market is all messed up, and the pets being mistreated. Nobody should have the right to own ANY living thing.
Exactly! i was just explaining that to some people! not only Chinese people do it a lot of other country does that too! also im suprised the guy who were having those snakes kept the cages so clean and neat and the snakes looks healthy! XD
So these animals are stolen and then put into environments they were not suited to live in. What a life, living in a cage or a box
Shaddup Dwight! You probably just want to shoot them!
The reptiles are clearly captive bred. You can't get wildcaught Carpet Pythons anymore, and that Leopard Gecko morph doesn't even exist in the wild. Plus captive bred is waaay cheaper and easier anyway, there's no point in getting wildcaught. Here's a newsflash, these animals have been bred as pets for years and years worldwide and make great pets. This video was really misleading. :-/
You speak from a human perspective. Snakes like to hide and have incredibly slow metabolisms. In the wild they will go days without moving and only do much of anything to get food. They're scared of most things, eat every few weeks or even months, and have zero need for social interaction. Life in a "box" isn't half bad to a snake who doesn't like sunlight or anything living that isn't food.
Dwight kinda agree with you cuz some people just get a lot of them and don't treat them that much
I have a sulcata tortoise that I rescued and a hog nose island snake(I think that's the name of the species)
I treat the nicely
The snake has a lot of room
I mean like his tank is huge
The sulcata can roam around the house or backyard but he has a small den
I treat them nicely
Not like others cuz others want them because of what they are only
So they just put them in a box with only things they require to survive
I personally think that collecting animals without that much care should be something you should not do
Cuz that's a living thing...
itsMeYourBoi Depends on species. Is it a Western Hognose or a Hog Island Boa? My boa loves space (his cage is 6' x 2' with climbing branches and a little "pond" and he's not even full grown, he'll get a bigger one. Many species though, like Ball Pythons or some of the ones shown here (Green Tree Pythons) don't like space, they like hiding or sitting on their branch for days and would just be stressed by a large enclosure. Some of these (like the carpet pythons) I'd agree were kept way too small, most were fine though.
I'd also question what you're going to do with your sulcata when it's 180lbs and outlives you...
I felt bad when he was feeding live baby animal to bus snake it looked so innocent the 🐍 ate it probLy
0:32 still better than Brian's enclosures
Paleo Motion Truuuue! Those poor Retics!
At least they're not just eating exotic animals, so it's a start I guess..
artfx9 Thats actually a reasonable point.
just back from Cross burning I see.
No I would rather the animals be eaten then forced to give with a neglagent care taker.
better if eat them at least not hungry e
But they are eating dogs (google is your friend
animals shouldn't be a collection
*Dogs and Cat is a collection.*
Little Sailor wrong
What people don't understand when they say leave it in its environment is there is no environment. Allot of species have been saved from extinction because of private collectors and breeders. And for every one irresponsible keeper there are 1000 keepers who are responsible g and properly care for their animals. The pet trade has zero negative impact and actually benefits many species. Agriculture, logging, and the food trade are what kill species.
702justin702 nice
702justin702 they should be free in their natural habitat.and they should be protected in the wild and their wild habitat should be protected so that they can live.
B vegan Now but as long as humans use the land for crops, livestock, resources and development there isn't anywhere for these animals to go. Madagascar has some of the most strict animal exportation in the world and have had their borders closed many times. But they keep opening them up because the country would rather export these animals than have them die due to shrinking habitat.
702justin702 it would honestly just be better if we didn't destroy their habitats in the first place 😓😖
who has room for a salt water croc? seriously.. they grow to be 12 13 14 foot long and are notoriously aggressive. who has adequate room for black tip reefy's? the chinchilla needs a dust bowl. they don't bath with water! volcano dust.
So happy to hear that these wild life rehab places exists. It's sad to think of so many exotics taken from the wild.
I have a problem with this, i think many of these exotics don't adapt well to being pets, and shouldn't be permitted to be pets. I have a problem with huskies being kept south of a particular latitude, those dogs constantly pant and suffer. I realize they're not exotic pets but the only time hey look happy is when they're in snow.
The animal's happiness and quality of life should come first.
Actually most of the animals shown in the vidoe do incredibly well in captivity.
A lot of them have been bred in captivity for years like most of the reptiles.
All this vidoe promotes is ignorance and fear of exotic pets.when there's no real reason to fear them at all.
it's not like every exotic pet owner is walking around with a tiger on a gold leash that was taken from the wild.
Cyndi Foore pretty sure the under coat can be brushed out and they can be allowed in air conditioning and given cold water.
"They belong to the sky"
One thing I hope China improves on is better enforced laws e.g. food, health, animal-being. I am very optimistic
i think i formed some kind of punch reflex when i see smth like this. let animals in their fking enviroment
I agree if you include animals caged in zoos around the world too and other pets in the western world
I agree for animals that havent been bred for domestication, although zoo's do sometimes serve very positive purposes.
Yes! I agree! Let cows, chickens and pigs free in their fking environment!
Edward agreed
Killing animals is another story, but if people are really passionate about keeping animals, and they take care of the animals very well, I don't really see a problem. The animal is happy, the human is happy.
Yes, endangered species should not be kept as pets. They should be only kept in captivity by conservation programmes to help bolster their population in the wild. However, a lot of the species shown in the video are NOT endangered at all and some of them even looked like they were captive bred. For example, that albino Pacman frog was most likely captive bred considering it's colour and the fact that Pacman frogs are a very common amphibian to keep as a pet globally. I also saw leopard geckos, gargoyle geckos, western hognoses, carpet pythons, red-eared slider turtles, Chinchillas and sugar gliders. Again all very common exotic pets that are bred in captivity so the majority of these animals were most likely bred and raised by breeders within China or from breeders in neighbouring countries. It's a lot easier for people to breed and sell captive animals than it is to catch them from the wild and import them. What's more important is protecting actual endangered species and educating those who want to keep exotics on how to properly keep them.
yes exactly right!
Sugar glide?? Those are pretty common here in Florida...
Keep wild animals wild! If you want a pet just get a dog or cat not an animal that is not domesticated, it is for the animals own good ♡ Bless that lady who rescued the animals ♡♡
We love your enthusiasm!
Katherine_horselover226 crazycatlady so u telling me I can't get fish as per?
Katherine_horselover226 crazycatlady Dogs and cats were wild. Many species have been bred for years in captivity and do quite well. Their life expectancies are higher, and they don't encounter any issues in their 20-30 year lifespans. Pet snakes have been kept longer than pet rats and gerbils. Nothing really makes a dog, cat, or horse a better pet than a snake or lizard. If anything, dogs and horses are very social, active animals. You're likely depriving them of that to some extent. Snakes have very little exercise needs and no social needs.
Katherine_horselover226 crazycatlady I thought that was a guy...
God bless the rescuers heart......for her to have a joy in seeing these birds free and in their natural environment is so inspiring.....
Yes, she is such an inspiration 🙌
OMG NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC REPLIED YOU😱😱
3:14 🐺 for the thumbnail animal =)
i LOVE THAT its my favorit animal
1:15 that face could become a meme
Don't feed it after Midnight and Do Not let it get Wet
That sugar glider tho
Heartwarming seeing the lady release the bird to the wild. “Their arent suppose to be here. They belong in the sky.”
I've seen more demand in USA.. I agree this raise concerns everywhere but you have to be fair
People don't care about fair.
Dogs and cats owners get away with anything including destorying the enivorment.
But poeple who don't own dogs and cats are automatically the bad guys.even if they help with conservation efforts or their pets where bron in captivity.it's wroung cause they are "wild" and "dangerous" cause they not cats and dogs.
Literally all the animals in this videos aren't exotic anymore. All except the bird of prey are common pets, especially the reptiles.
The humanity at its finest..
Salt Water Croc? uhhhhh no
Its astonishing to me how little value animals have in China. I was once in Beijing for two weeks and was hosted by a family with two teenagers. They once showed me a tortoise sitting on a stone in a Mason Jar. It had not more that 2 centimetres of room in either direction. It was horrible! Imagine being in this situation for your whole life. They also told me that they bought a tortoise for two family members each. The tortoise that died first would make its owner the looser.
This still makes me sad, although what I described happened in 2014. The family were actually nice people, but Chinas morales are super backwards. This is why I have a problem with the Chinese, although I know that some of them are great people. :(
I've seen sugar gliders sold on the streets of Taiwan. It's sad how people don't really know what they're doing to the environment when they buy and sell these types of animals.
3:30
Sharks are supposed to be kept in round tanks with NO corners.
Cool, didn't know that.
My name is Indira from baktinusa vocation school, I hope there will be no more illegal trade in animals because it can affect the animal ecosystem, besides that animals that are sold illegally are feared to be kept by irresponsible people
What in the world? Why would you be pleased to have all that animals locked? I wonder if that guy thinks a bit of that. I would be incredibly amazed to have any contact with all of that beautiful exemplars, but NOT if that means keeping them in that precarious condition. Now, in the other hand, the damage dealt to the environment by wild animals trading is so inmense.
God Bless the people actually caring for these birds
Honestly, it's not just the problem in China. But, people there need to be educated. However, from the dark side, you can still see the people trying so hard to help animals. Some animals are just not our pets. Also, pets are not for sales.
Can Somone please tell me the names of the 2 species of fish that were shown, the rainbow coloured ones and the ones that looked like rose pedals during the end?
from the very first shot..iphone and basketball gym shorts..yep its china alright.
not only in China, in Indonesia too
A saltwater crocodile as a pet? Those things grow over 6 meters long! Who has the space to afford a predator that size?
China is already responsible for many of the worst animal atrocities going on in the world and needs to take a tougher stance in its treatment of animals
Hmm...I wonder if things would change if the world suddenly had a demand for pandas.
As much as I love foxes, I’d probably never get one as a pet. Especially a wild one. They’re meant to roam freely. I don’t want a free animal like that stuck in a pen all day. I mean if it’s a fur farm rescue then sure it’s okay but pls don’t take them out of the wild just bc it’s cool or exotic.
Where's the thumbnail? is this clickbait? from nat geo?
I don't agree with that, they should be in their homes not in cages
The subtitles are so... reductive of what they're actually saying
An eye opening video on illegal exotic wildlife trade
imported as exotic pets but ended up in exotic dishes in fancy restaurant in china......
Just let those animals be free.!thats cruelty
All animals are on their own. We shouldn't hunt them for business.
Even though it's in subtitles I still had the need to turn up the volume.
Basically first you pay hunters to hunt birds and animals ,and during hunting when they get hurt ,, you bring them to care centre treat their wound ,, and when they are good to go you sell them .
Wild animals are by definition supposed to live in the WILD so stop owning them as pets like seriously ? get a dog or a cat for God's sake
Eric Gordy sadly that seems true. Because even though many Chinese don't eat dogs and cats those that do might steal their animals from them. It happens in Hawaii from what I heard and it happens in the mainland states too
actually not all of them eat them but it is true in a way
I could see How much they Care for Exotic Animals,And I appreciate that.
IF AN ANIMAL IS CAPTIVE THEY ARENT FREE AND ARENT BEING TAKEN CARE OF
I thought exotic pets we’re illegal in china
Did you know that even some exotic pets are bred,there put in horrid conditions
WHat? People keep saltwater crocodiles? I could understand freshwater ones as they only grow to about 2-3 metres and eat insects and small animals but someone's gonna get mangled when their baby salty grows up to be 7 metres long.
This makes me sick. What can I do to help? I want to do more than give money that usually goes to the wrong places.
What about the animal cruelty??
They're really calling Carpet Pythons, Western Hognose, Leopard Geckos, and Crested Geckos "exotic" and saying they're wild caught? That leo morph doesn't even exist in the wild. Carpet and Blood pythons and Hognose are common snakes to keep, not dangerous, and captive bred. An 8 year old could keep a hognose no problem. They couldn't survive in China either, so becoming invasive isn't an issue. You can buy a Crested or Leopard Gecko at Petco for 50 dollars in America. They're hardly rare and exotic. I'm with them on birds, birds have high requirements socially and physically, and they're not commonly captive bred, but anyone who's kept or knows reptiles can tell you those reptiles are not an issue and are kept worldwide, not just in China. The Vipers I'm not too on board with just for safety reasons.
As far as I see it, animal welfare isn't yet a fundamental part of Chinese culture. From my observation, I believe they often don't put enough effort into understanding what an animal needs. Instead, they anthropomorphize or simplify them. An example would be a dog who gets the latest fashionable accessoires, but not enough exercise or training. This doesn't mean they don't love their pets. I believe every pet owner loves their pet.
Im happy with my pet cats . I feel sorry for all the exotic animals that are kept as pets....
3:36- i thought they were feeding a lizard to a panckake
oh Come on...Just leave them alone.Would a human want to go live as a pet of a komodo dragons?And kudos to the people saving these animals.
Anyone else go sad seeing this ?
Animals are not for us to possess.
4000+ birds in 16 years, an average of 250+ per year, not bad! I hope there are similar operations for the other species as well, especially with this increase in demand!
What we need for these people with more money than sense are highly advanced robotic pets as status symbols, all the prestige of spending stupid amounts of money without the massive amount of animal suffering!
Is this animal cruelty or what? I’m not sure..
Don’t people need licenses to by exotic pets
Weird
Though these are informative, Nat Geo should consider verbally translating them. Almost all these a blind person won't find accessible.
Demeter may be able to make money that way.
At least they aren’t eating them.
Animals should stay wild- keeping them is wrong
Status is the worst form of abuse
birds in cages is so dumb
they better not be eating their "exotic pets".
i feel so sorry for these magnificent creatures
??? seriously?? i mean like you are very brain washed! you know other countries does that to! don't just hate on them! literally ex. Japan huge pets store have a lot of exotics pets there being sold! i seen a lot of these! Ex. they sold markeets there! and also the USA have huge businesses of selling reptiles and exotics pets why aren't you complaining about that? its pretty much all over the wold not only in china.
I wasn't blaming any country specifically, I felt sorry as a human.
Past years and advertising know when to pursue my dream
Someone make that a meme 4:30
Got recommendation after 5 year for second time 😂
Animal give blessing if you feed them, so instead of these if you feed poor people no need of pets
That leopard gecko morph is captive bred only. There were other snake morphs in the vid as well that is only accomplished by captive breeding. Fennec foxes are captive bred in most places nowadays. Nat Geo again fails to release a non-biased vid.
The shark tank sure was small. That has to be torture.
I keep my animals for conservation and educational purposes. For example, one of the rarest tarantulas is the P. Metallica because it's found in such a small region that's being threatened by deforestation. Most of the population is kept in captive and breeding projects by enthusiasts and breeders are keeping the population thriving. That is why I keep mine.
thanks for showing this to world and dont do anything to stop it ? National Geographic or any channel just for profit not for help the world better
Please be kind to these animals, set them free they also have a life. Those animals, were kept there in a pet shop, the fishes were in an aquarium with unnatural lights which is bad for them. Please help them...
Setting them free would kill them cause all they've ever known is having all the food and water they could want without the worry of being eaten by predators.
Unnatural light is not bad for them and you clearly know nothing about animals that aren't dogs or cats.
Brianna Harter so what if i say that if a human should always be kept in a cage and not allowing it to go where it wishes to, the same thing applies here, these animals belong to the wild let them free. And if the light is really harmless to them,why isnt there any such lights in their natural habitat? They are more natural in their natural environment. :)
Animals are not comparable to humans cause they aren't as intelligent,have diffrent needs and we do that to people who are unable to take care of themsleves.
Captive bred animals do not belong in the wild and would die horribly.just cause something is in nature doesn't mean a animal needs it.you can compeletly replicate a natural enivorment in captivity espceailly for ones like tarantulas cause they live their entire lives in one spot.
Also just cause a animal displays natural behaviours doesn't mean it's happy.a lot of schooling fish won't school in captivity cause they aren't in constant fear cause there's nothing that will eat them.but if they feel scared they will stick together as closely as possible which is what they do in the wild cause everthings out to eat them.
Brianna Harter yeah but we are not the ones to decide where to keep them or not. Set them free, the animals decide where they want to go or not. Its ok if u create an artificial environment to nature where they can live freely, but here the wild animals are being domesticated and the environment itself is not natural...
No one is talking about how that guy has a frigging Gaboon Viper?
They are pretty easy to get in the states too! Recently in my area,someone’s pet cobra got out!
that sahara fox looked pretty neat
Keep wild animals in the wild!!! They don’t belong in people’s houses!!!
If I had a fennec fox, I would care for it. I would try to make a suitable little area that is like the desert and at least study on the animal. If it was not an adult yet, I might have put it back to it's habitat.
spirit cat911 yea if it's still young, it can be released. If it's an adult, releasing it into the wild would only kill it ; it cant survive. Which is why these species should be left in the wild
it's illegal because you will eat them
That’s not right they had dam sharks
let the animals live in their natural habitat
seems like we live similar lives in a ironic twist.