Every year hundreds of cheetah cubs are stolen from the wild, decimating the dwin­dling population of Africa’s most endangered big cat. For every five cubs that are taken, only one survives. They are then smuggled into the Mid­dle East to be sold as an exotic pet.

Even today, primates are under threat from the illegal pet trade. Often stolen from the wild as babies, with their family groups killed, these animals are trafficked around the world for sale in Asia and The Middle East.

Tigers might be the most endangered big cat in the world, but they are a common sight in captivity, often exploited for petting opportunities, circuses, or kept as exotic pets to flaunt as status symbols.

Live reptiles and amphibians are hugely popular amongst collectors; the rarer the species, the more valuable it is in the exotic pet trade. But many of the animals found in this trade have in fact come from the wild, causing many populations to be pushed towards extinction.

The trade in of wild birds as pets occur right around the world, and some species, like the grey par­rots of Africa, have been stolen from the wild in their millions.