Exotic Pet Trade Essay
Pythons’ devastating effects on Florida’s environment as a result of the exotic pet trade
The exotic pet trade is a multi-billion dollar market that sells animals typically not being held as
pets to its customers. Pythons have become a particularly popular selling item in the exotic pet
trade; through their release into nature, these non-native snakes have invaded Florida's
environment and have been wreaking havoc upon the Everglades' native endangered and non-
endangered animal populations alike, and pose a potential threat to humans.
Before most foreign species are released into Florida's natural environment, they are pets
of owners who either collect exotic animals or just relish in the sheer satisfaction of owning an
animal …show more content…
Millions of animals are forced into the exotic pet trade every
year for the purpose of becoming someone's pet or entertaining the masses in a circus or roadside
zoo. (Facts about the Exotic Pet Trade).
In Florida, pythons have caused damage to Florida's environment after being
purposefully released into the wild or by pet owners who fail to confine their snakes properly
which leads to accidental escapes. Pythons are one of the largest snakes in the world (FWC) and
prospective owners don't always fully understand how considerably massive, dangerous, and out
of control these constrictors can become. When care-taking has become an overwhelming task,
many snake owners make the decision to abandon their pet and release them into the Florida
Everglades or leave them on the doorstep of an exotic pet shop (Forbidden Creatures 153).
Vast varieties of flying, aquatic, and land-dwelling species, endangered as well as non-
endangered, inhabit the Everglades. Most of these animals are vulnerable and defenseless
to these colossal snakes. Pythons consume a wide variety of species and due to their massive
The exotic pet trade is a multi-billion dollar market that sells animals typically not being held as
pets to its customers. Pythons have become a particularly popular selling item in the exotic pet
trade; through their release into nature, these non-native snakes have invaded Florida's
environment and have been wreaking havoc upon the Everglades' native endangered and non-
endangered animal populations alike, and pose a potential threat to humans.
Before most foreign species are released into Florida's natural environment, they are pets
of owners who either collect exotic animals or just relish in the sheer satisfaction of owning an
animal …show more content…
Millions of animals are forced into the exotic pet trade every
year for the purpose of becoming someone's pet or entertaining the masses in a circus or roadside
zoo. (Facts about the Exotic Pet Trade).
In Florida, pythons have caused damage to Florida's environment after being
purposefully released into the wild or by pet owners who fail to confine their snakes properly
which leads to accidental escapes. Pythons are one of the largest snakes in the world (FWC) and
prospective owners don't always fully understand how considerably massive, dangerous, and out
of control these constrictors can become. When care-taking has become an overwhelming task,
many snake owners make the decision to abandon their pet and release them into the Florida
Everglades or leave them on the doorstep of an exotic pet shop (Forbidden Creatures 153).
Vast varieties of flying, aquatic, and land-dwelling species, endangered as well as non-
endangered, inhabit the Everglades. Most of these animals are vulnerable and defenseless
to these colossal snakes. Pythons consume a wide variety of species and due to their massive