Sounding the alarm: the global trade in Ball pythons
Our ground-breaking report into the Ball python trade sounds the alarm over the animal welfare crisis faced by Africa’s most legally traded live animal.
Over 45 years, more than 3 million Ball pythons have been exported from Benin, Ghana and Togo – many face a lifetime of confinement and suffering as exotic pets. Our report reveals:
- Wild capture methods cause stress in Ball pythons and can result in disease, infection and premature death.
- Ball pythons farmed in West Africa were found to be housed in dirty conditions, providing an ideal environment for the possible emergence and spread of diseases.
- Wild caught Ball pythons are still being imported in Canada, the US and Europe, likely to boost the captive breeding industry.
- Reptile trade expos in Canada, the US and Europe fail to provide to meet even the most basic needs of ball pythons like space, shelter and access to potable water.
- Ball pythons are subjected to intensive breeding conditions. So-called designer ‘morphs’ Ball pythons are selectively bred for unique colour and scale patterns. The unnatural breeding practices, used to create morphs, can result in genetic disorders and deformities and can be detrimental to health and wellbeing of these animals.
View our infographic to learn more about the journey of zoonotic diseases
Our findings are featured in a new documentary that exposes the trade and the severe animal welfare concerns inherent to it.
Suffering in silence documentary
Ball pythons in Canada
Right now, an estimated 28,000 Ball pythons are kept as exotic pets across Canada. Their popularity is fueled by the pet industry, often marketing these animals as ‘starter’ or ‘beginner’ pet, completely ignoring their complex behavioural and physiological needs. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) trade database, Canada has imported over 78,000 Ball pythons in the past two decades, which makes up about 14% of all CITES-listed reptiles imported during that period.[1] Making Canada one of the main importers of Ball pythons globally.
The trade of Ball pythons as exotic pets is a massive global market that has impacted millions of animals over the last decades. These misunderstood animals suffer from the moment of capture or being born at a breeding facility, through to a life of captivity. Unfortunately, this journey for Ball pythons and the suffering endured at every stage of the exotic pet trade is often unknown to people.
Why have we decided to focus on Ball pythons?
Reptiles, including Ball pythons, are sentient wild animals. They cab experience, distress, fear and pain but also positive emotions like pleasure and excitement. Despite this, they are often kept in small, barren, unnatural enclosures where they can’t perform basic natural behaviours, often not even able to stretch their full body.
Ball pythons are amazing but have complex behaviours and needs
Ball pythons, also known as Royal pythons, are native to East and West Africa. They are nocturnal animals, sheltering in burrows during the day. At night, they will become active, leaving their burrows for the search of food or a mate.
While usually staying on the ground, Ball pythons are surprisingly agile climbers and can at times be found in trees [2]. Like most snakes, they are ambush predators, which means they position themselves in a strategically camouflaged location where a predator is expected to come by. When this happens, they attack with a quick launch and coil themselves around the prey animal until the animal succumbs. The sit-and-wait strategy has resulted in the misconception that Ball pythons do not move often and therefore do not require large enclosures when in captivity.
Another natural behaviour that has likely led to the increasing popularity of these animals in the exotic pet industry is their tendency to curl up in a ball (hence Ball python) when feeling threatened or stressed, rather than actively defending themselves, like other snakes might do. This natural behaviour, which helps them survive in the wild has been remarketed by the exotic pet industry, labelling these animals as ‘docile’ and making them subject to exploitation. The nature of the animals, together with the number of Ball python being bred in captivity also feeds into the misconception that Ball pythons are domesticated – they are not. Learn more about the different between domesticated and non-domesticated species here.
The nature of the animals, together with the number of Ball python being bred in captivity also feeds into the misconception that Ball pythons are domesticated – they are not. Learn more about the different between domesticated and non-domesticated species here.
Why is the Ball python so misunderstood?
Ball pythons, like all reptiles, express emotions very differently than humans. This is why it is particularly difficult to recognize the signs of stress, illness or suffering.
Over the years, the misunderstanding of Ball python behaviour has resulted in the misperception that Ball pythons do not have specialized welfare needs and can thrive in restrictive environments that lack adequate stimulation. Ball pythons are wild animals, with complex behavioural, environmental, and psychological needs. Captivity limits the expression of their full range of natural behaviours and puts their well-being and health at risk.
Read the full report “Suffering in silence: Uncovering the cruelty of the global trade in Ball pythons”.
As part of our G20 campaign, we ask the Federal Canadian government to curb the domestic legal and illegal trade in wild animals, to work with provinces and territories to mitigate risks to public health, animal welfare and our natural environment inherent to the keeping and trade of wild animals and harmonize and strengthen regulations to drastically reduce captive breeding, transport and the physical and online trade in wild animals.
Sources:
[1] CITES Trade Database. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://trade.cites.org/
[2] Barker D, Barker TM (2006) Ball pythons: Their history, natural history, care and breeding. Barker Published by VPI Library.