All over the world, including Australia, the trade of wildlife species as exotic pets, unsustainable as it is, is also responsible for a large number of alien invasive wildlife species frequently and massively introduced in ecosystems and environments.

A New Study

The findings of a study were published in the Neobiota journal. Researchers looked into the Australian demand for illegal and alien animal pets and the trends in the trade of wildlife. The study also suggested some means by which biosecurity awareness can be improved in Australia.

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Australia's Alien Wildlife Trade

For the past 20 years, there has been a significant increase in the influx of alien wildlife species into Australia. These are animals that are widely popular in the international wildlife pet trade, including the red-eared slider terrapin, the corn snake, and the rose-ringed parakeet. Such alien species are often smuggled as illegal commodities, many of which are subsequently released or escape into the wild.

The regulations set by the Australian government regarding international trade in exotic pets are generally stringent. These rules are meant to minimize conservation risks and strengthen biosecurity.

Some trendy wildlife pets presently pose a conservation threat and a threat to biosecurity due to their invasion via owners releasing their pets. The lack of regular surveillance on these alien species, regardless if they were obtained legally or not, is currently the main challenge.

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Legal and Illegal Trade

Some species can be legally imported and traded domestically within Australia's borders. Still, pet keepers are known to be capable of acquiring the exotic pets they want both through legal and illegal means. The latter is used when legal importation is not possible, and just how many these illegal traders are is not known.

Most exotic species in the country are poorly regulated or imported illegally. Thus, researchers and the government find it hard to assess the level of demand and trade for alien species of wildlife.

Study Methodology

University of Adelaide's Adam Toomes, who is the study's lead author, said that they looked into anonymous public inquiries concerned with the legality of importing species of alien wildlife. These were addressed to Australia's Department of Agriculture, Water, & the Environment. The study, he said, investigated if the desired wildlife species in the country leaned towards species that are threatened with extinction, or towards other species.

The Study's Findings

The analysis and results of the study showed that the exotic pets that Australians want to be leaned significantly towards invasive wildlife, threatened species, and those species that are well-known in the pet trade in the US.

Toomes said that the results are a significant concern to biosecurity government agencies since they show how illegally traded wildlife could be selected to possess characteristics correlated with alien invasive wildlife.

Possible Future Trends

The results showing bias towards US-traded species may be useful in predicting Australian demand in the future.

Future studies will look into whether Australian confiscations of illegal exotic pets could be predicted with the use of trade data from the US. This research will be conducted by the University of Adelaide's Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Group.

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