Media release

From: PNAS

Invasive species are overrepresented in the global pet trade, a study finds. The global pet trade is a multibillion-dollar enterprise involving the sale of tens of millions of animals each year. Pets that escape or are released into the wild can become introduced outside their native range, posing a threat to biodiversity, ecosystems, and human health. Jérôme Gippet and Cleo Bertelsmeier performed a meta-analysis to examine whether invasive species are overrepresented in the global pet trade. The authors compiled a dataset of thousands of vertebrate species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. The results revealed that invasive species represent 12.6% of the pet trade and are 7.4 times more frequent in the pet trade than in the global pool of vertebrate species. Similarly, invasive ant species in the pet trade are 6.6 times more common in the pet trade than in the global species pool and sold by 1.7 times more sellers than noninvasive species. Together, the findings suggest that invasiveness is linked to greater commercial success in the pet trade. According to the authors, strict international regulations should be implemented to curb the global spread of invasive species and people should be encouraged to purchase pets native to their area.