Impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the global demand for exotic pets: An expert elicitation approach.

ABSTRACT: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused immense social and economic costs worldwide. Most experts endorse the view that the virus has a zoonotic origin with the final spillover being associated with wildlife trade. Besides human consumption, wild animals are also extensively traded as pets. Information on zoonotic diseases has been reported to reduce consumer demand for exotic pets. We conducted a global survey and collected 162 responses from international experts on exotic pet trade (traders, academics, NGOs, enforcement entities) to understand how the legal and illegal trade of exotic pets is expected to be affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Our results suggest that legal purchase of exotic pets is perceived as decreasing during the first pandemic wave due to: lower availability o

SUBMITTER: Ribeiro J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8849832 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature