The illegal pet trade hurts ecosystems. Exotic animals often escape from homes or are released by their owners. They become invasive species and affect animals native to Florida and their ecosystems.

They're among the largest snake species in the world and have been ... many individuals were released or escaped from the exotic pet trade.

As the festive season approaches, the demand for pets as ... the trade of exotic animals. These authorities can issue and revoke permits required for the sale of specific species.

The pet trade has been connected to declines and local extinctions of reptile species in the wild. The exotic pet trade in the United States is among the largest in the world, involving hundreds of ...

Florida’s latest invasive species is a 4-foot-long South American lizard with ... Burmese pythons, which also arrived via the exotic pet trade, have devastated several mammal populations in the ...

It is also one of several invasive ... any animal that has been brought up in captivity or has been sold through the pet trade and may not have the skills to survive." Another species that could ...