[Above photo: Endemic to Colombia, Lehmann’s poison frog (Oophaga lehmanni) is rated as Critically Endangered on the Red List of threatened species maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The frog is included on the CITES Appendix II list due to the unsustainable tradeof this species. Photo credit: ©️Jonathan Vanegas/WCS.]

BRONX, NY, September 14, 2026—A group of eight international experts writing in the journal Nature call on governments to close legal loopholes that allow an expanding global pet trade in reptiles and amphibians to threaten wild populations, facilitate wildlife trafficking, and increase the risks posed by pathogens and invasive species.

The authors of the Comment, “Close legal gaps in the global pet trade,” argue that current national and international regulations are largely reactive: species can often be traded freely until evidence of harm accumulates. Gaps between national laws can also allow wildlife taken illegally or unsustainably in one country to enter legal markets elsewhere.

​Scope of the Threat to Reptiles and Amphibians

The scale and consequences of the trade are substantial. The reptile trade alone is now worth an estimated $2.5 billion, with millions of reptiles and amphibians imported into North America and Europe each year. More than half of reptiles and 40 percent of amphibians traded as pets and for other purposes are taken directly from the wild. In Madagascar, the ploughshare tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora), one of the world’s most endangered tortoises, is threatened largely by poaching for the pet trade.

Legal Gaps Encourage Unsustainable Trade

“For decades, the growing unsustainable legal and illegal trade of reptiles and amphibians has shown that a gap for these animals in legislation anywhere is a gap in legislation everywhere,” said Susan Lieberman, Vice President for International Policy at the Wildlife Conservation Society and a co-author of the comment. “A species protected in its country of origin should not become legal merchandise simply because it crosses a border. Global decision-makers must take this opportunity to close these loopholes, create a future that combats crime and over-exploitation, and ensure that this destructive trade does not cause immeasurable harm to wildlife and ecosystems.”

Reptiles and amphibians receive less conservation attention and funding than birds and mammals and can be especially vulnerable to the pet trade: animals can be concealed in parcels, rare species can command thousands of dollars, and illegally sourced animals can be difficult to distinguish from those traded legally. CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — covers only 9.5 percent of reptile species and 4.2 percent of amphibian species, and adding species can be a slow process.

“Astonishing numbers of reptiles and amphibians are threatened with extinction around the world today—in large part because of the pet trade,” said Neil M. Vora, Executive Director of Preventing Pandemics at the Source and lead author of the comment. “Legal gaps at national and international levels mean that reptiles and amphibians are routinely taken from natural habitats and sold abroad. This causes problems in countries from which they come, but also in the countries where they go, as these animals can become invasive and carry germs. The animals also often experience horrific conditions that defy common-sense welfare standards. But we have policy solutions to address this gap, and they must be urgently implemented.”

Disease Threat in Countries Targeted for Trade

The damage can also reach importing countries. The salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans) caused mass die-offs of native fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) in western Europe after being introduced through the pet trade. In the United States, invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) have been associated with declines in bobcats, raccoons, and opossums.

“The global pet trade creates pathways for pathogens to move across species, ecosystems, and continents,” adds Chris Walzer, Executive Director of Health at WCS and a co-author of the comment. “Global health security means preventing those risks at their source, not waiting until a pathogen has spilled over or become established somewhere new. Stronger rules that ensure wildlife trade is legal, sustainable, and safe are not only good conservation policy; they are an essential investment in prevention.”

Closing the Spigot on Flow of Trade via Science, Policy and Enforcement 

The authors call on source countries to enforce science-based protections for native wildlife and on destination countries to prohibit the import, sale, ownership, and re-export of animals obtained in violation of source-country laws, even when species are not covered by CITES. The U.S. Lacey Act provides one model. They also urge importing countries to consider “positive lists” limiting imports to only species that are demonstrably legally and sustainably sourced, pose minimal invasive-species or pathogen risks, and can be kept under appropriate welfare conditions.

The Comment highlights an immediate opportunity for international action. In October, the 194 Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) will consider strengthening the response to wildlife trafficking, including through a potential dedicated protocol on crimes that affect the environment. The authors support such a protocol to help harmonize wildlife-trafficking laws and strengthen international cooperation.

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