Animal trainer Pamela Rosaire Zoppe bought this chimpanzee from pet owners who could no longer keep him.
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Exotic pet trade, explained
Millions of animals are taken from their habitats to live in homes as pets, feeding a thriving illegal trade in wildlife.
Each year millions of exotic animals are sold around the world, destined for people’s basements and backyards. The term “exotic” doesn’t have a set definition, but it usually refers to a wild animal or one that’s more unusual than your standard dog or cat. The booming business in exotic pets is known as the exotic pet trade.
Some of this trade is legal, but many times animals are captured from the wild illegally to supply demand for exotic pets. The illicit sales of live animals comprises a major part of the overall illegal wildlife trade, a multibillion-dollar global black market.
People have kept exotic pets throughout history, but demand for unique creatures has exploded in recent years. Much of
