The pet hobby has always played a very important part when it comes to animal conservation. People who actively keep exotic wildlife as pets hold a huge amount of influence over their chosen animal species – especially when it comes to animals that are still wild caught. There are many things that you as a pet enthusiast can do to prevent extinction.
For example, if you are deeply involved already with a certain species then you may want to consider breeding it as a hobby. While breeding takes a huge amount of effort and time on your part, it also has the potential to stop the collection and importation of your chosen species. This leaves the wild animals where they should be – undisturbed in the wild.
For those hobbyists that are not yet ready to take the plunge as breeders and ambassadors of the species, consider becoming pickier about where you obtain your stock from. For instance, simply refusing to buy wild caught (WC) animals can make an impact on the conservation front.
Keep in mind that sometimes disreputable sources and importers will sometimes mislabel their animals on purpose. For example, the term “CB” is meant to designate a “Captive Bred” animal. However, some importers have started passing off their wild caught (WC) stock as being CB – what they aren’t telling you is that it really means “Captive Born”.
A captive born animal is one that was only born in captivity. The mother was collected in the wild by workers already gravid. She was then taken to a farm where she had her babies – these are then attempted to be passed off as CB when in fact they really aren’t.
The problem with purchasing WC and Captive Bred animals is that it only supports the importers efforts and damages the wild populations. Do your part in animal conservation and only buy Captive Bred!