Do You Know Where Your Pet Came From?


Recently, the world mourned for Cecil the lion of Zimbabwe, who was illegally shot and killed by Minnesota dentist. Unfortunately, some of the world’s rarest animals are taken from their habitats to be bred illegally and sold as pets.

After these animals are captured, they are often forced to take a long journey to their new home. Some of them die on their way there. These creatures are sold as pets or sold to private zoos.

The world’s biggest lizard, the Komodo dragon, and the world’s biggest frog, the Goliath frog, are two examples of animals threatened by people who want to sell them for money. The Goliath frog hails from equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. It is caught in the wild and sold to private collectors. The Komodo dragon has her eggs stolen by thieves to sell to breeders.

Tropical fish and wild birds are also captured and bred as pets. One of the rarest tropical fish, the Tilapia Cichlid(pictured), is sometimes caught in the wild and sold as a pet. However, many responsible aquariums, suppliers, and pet stores, do take the time to make sure their fish come from a reliable source.

Even though it is illegal to capture exotic creatures like these, many collectors still pay a great deal of money to have them in their homes.

[Source: 100 Things You Should Know About Endangered Animals ]

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