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Suffering in silence Uncovering the cruelty of the global trade in Ball pythons WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 1 3/8/20 8:07 PM2 WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 2 3/8/20 8:07 PM3 Contents Executive summary 5 Introduction 6 Spotlight on the Ball python Africas most traded live wild animal* 9 Ball python exports: cruelty and commerce 11 Welfare concerns 12 Conservation concerns 14 Ranching: Does it really protect the species? 15 The problem with morphs 17 Disease transfer to humans 18 Reducing acceptability around the world 19 Conclusion 21 References 22 Photo left: Ball python, Czech Republic Front cover: Ball python after hunting, Ghana * This is according to species listed on the Convention on the Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) database. WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 3 3/8/20 8:07 PM4 WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 4 3/8/20 8:07 PM5 Executive Summary Hundreds of millions of birds, mammals, fish and reptiles are today traded worldwide as exotic pets. World Animal Protections Wildlife. Not Pets campaign aims to disrupt this industry in order to protect wild animals from being poached or taken from the wild or from being cruelly bred in captivity, just to become someones pet. In 2019, World Animal Protection exposed the illegal poaching and welfare abuses being inflicted on wild African grey parrots in the Democratic Republic of Congo to supply the international demand of the exotic pet trade. As a result of public pressure by World Animal Protection supporters, Turkish Airlines, identified as one of the main carriers of illegally smuggled parrots, issued a global embargo for all African grey parrots being flown on their planes. But this is just one species, in one country. The rapid growth of wildlife as pets requires global solutions. Online e-commerce platforms and social media are key drivers in the trade of wildlife for pets by increasing both the accessibility to and the acceptability of owning a wild animal as a pet. The Wildlife. Not Pets campaign is working to bring an end to the cruelty and abuse these animals suffer by reversing this trend. The recent outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus highlights how diseases can be transferred to humans from wild animals that have been subjected to the cruelty of the wildlife trade. Action is needed to end the exotic pet trade not only for animal welfare and biodiversity, but also to protect human health. In many ways, the Ball python is the poster child of the exotic pet trade. Its the single most traded live animal legally exported from Africa. 1 This report highlights all that is wrong with the global system that enables the trade of this species. Reptiles are thought to make up around 20% of the global exotic pet trade, yet they are perhaps one of the most misunderstood type of animal, with broad misconceptions that they are not sentient. This leads owners to often misjudge the level of care they need and wrongly conclude what they require to meet even their minimum needs with respect to space, nutrition, environment and enrichment. These myths result in unintentional cruelty and neglect, and are used to justify a massive global trade that threatens the survival of these animals in the wild. It is time to turn the tide on the exotic pet trade and keep wild animals in the wild, where they belong. Global problems require global solutions World Animal Protection is calling for the following to protect these snakes and to disrupt the international trade in wildlife. We call on: The West African countries of Benin, Togo and Ghana, the main exporters of Ball pythons, to introduce a suspension on the global export of Ball pythons. The US, Europe, Canada, and China, the main importers of Ball pythons, to introduce an import ban on all Ball pythons and to review respective domestic captive breeding programs. The public to join our call to end the trade of wild animals, including Ball pythons, across the globe. Photo left: A female Ball python is captured during Ghanas hunting season. She is just one of the tens of thousands exported from West Africa each year to fuel international demand for the exotic pet trade. WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 5 3/8/20 8:07 PM6 Reptiles comprise about 20% of the global live animal trade 2 3 . Though data is lacking, there are thought to be tens of millions of exotic reptile pets in homes, if not more around the globe. One estimate for 2017-2018 placed about 9.4 million reptiles in US homes 4 , and another estimate for 2018-2019 placed about 0.8 million reptiles kept as pets in the UK 5 (though these numbers could be much higher due to incomplete record-keeping and widespread illegal activity throughout the industry). 6 Historically, reptiles have also been one of the most misunderstood types of animals, subject to many misconceptions. Though its widely accepted that they are sentient (able to feel positive and negative emotions and states 7 ), because they are less like us in both their biology and behaviour than, say, dogs and cats or other mammals, we as humans tend to relate to or identify with them less 8 . For this and other reasons, it seems to be often accepted perception, often based on non-scientific “folklore” 9 in the trade and among owners, that reptiles do not need much space or require stimulating environments compared to other categories of pets. Meanwhile, the scientific research is filled with references to reptiles capacity to feel anxiety, stress, distress, excitement, fear, frustration, pain and suffering, as well as direct evidence to their capacity to feel pleasure, and emotion. 10 In truth, reptiles are far more complex than people often realize. For example, some species are far more social than once thought a fact that is increasingly being identified in different reptile species like some Australian skinks. 11 Also, claims that reptiles are naturally sedentary are often greatly exaggerated. Large home ranges for many reptiles make limited space provisions in captivity seriously problematic, and false claims of their limited intelligence, emotional capacity, and minimal welfare needs can mean that they suffer considerably in captivity. 12 The result of this disconnect between claims and reality is that we are often less likely or willing to consider their well-being along all the stages of their life, from their capture to the time they are brought into someones home as a pet. Mortality rates are difficult to determine and are subject to debate. For example, estimates for overall mortality rate of reptiles in UK homes in the first year of ownership vary between 4% 13 and 75% 14 . However, it is important to note that even a 1% mortality rate during transport alone represents millions of animals given the size and scale of the industry. 15 16 Introduction .even a 1% mortality rate equates to millions of animals given the size and scale of the industry. Photo right: Often billed as a good “starter” pet, it is not uncommon to see children holding and handling Ball pythons at pet expos in North America. WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 6 3/8/20 8:07 PM7 WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 7 3/8/20 8:07 PM8 WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 8 3/8/20 8:07 PM9 Photo left: Hunted, caught, born into captivity and sold. The West African countries of Benin, Togo and Ghana are the main source countries for ranched exports. The Ball python, named for its tendency to curl into a tight ball when stressed, is currently the single most legally-traded live African species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). 17 Over three million of them have been exported off the African continent since 1975. Also called Royal pythons, these relatively small snakes hail from East to West Africa, with the majority of international trade originating from Benin, Togo and Ghana. 18 They are nocturnal land animals, sheltering in burrows during the day and sometimes climbing trees during the night. 19 20 Females typically lay eggs from mid-February to the beginning of April, during the latter half of the dry season, and the eggs tend to hatch about two months later 21 . Mothers incubate their eggs, remaining tightly coiled around their eggs until birth. 22 23 Spotlight on the Ball python Africas most traded live wild animal Ball pythons are ambush predators that feed primarily on birds and rodents, and therefore serve as important pest controllers in many rural communities 24 . In the wild, their lifespan is thought to be around 10 years. 25 In captivity, they can live about 20 years, with a longevity record of 47 years 26 . In addition to being hunted for the international exotic pet trade, they are caught and killed for meat, leather, and traditional medicines 27 28 . They are currently listed as a species of “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) but the huge numbers of animals being caught to meet the variety of consumer demands is considered a major potential 29 threat. According to CITES, over three million individual Ball pythons have been exported from West Africa since the first recorded live commercial export in 1975 30 . Annual exports peaked at around 250,000 in 2005 and have averaged 100,000 since 2007 31 . In total, through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, more than 99% of these exports originated from just three countries: Togo, Benin and Ghana 32 . Hunters find and catch Ball pythons by breaking open hollow palm trunks or termite mounds, digging up burrows found in piles of leaves or grass, or following tracks 33 . They are wildly popular around the world as exotic pets, particularly in Europe and North America 34 , yet concerns are growing about the conservation impacts of this trade, and about the welfare impacts of the capturing, trading and keeping of Ball pythons as pets. 35 36 Their small size and relatively docile nature make them popular, and inappropriately perceived to be a good starter pet 37 38 . They are also likely popular due to the common misconception that they require relatively little specialized care. 39 According to CITES over three million individual Ball pythons have been exported from West Africa since the first recorded live commercial export in 1975. WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 9 3/8/20 8:07 PM10 WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 10 3/8/20 8:07 PM11 In many ways, the Ball python is the poster child of the exotic pet trade. Millions of Ball pythons have been exported out of Africa over the past 40 years, with the largest importing markets being North America (the USA and Canada), followed by Europe (Germany, UK and France) and Asian countries, notably Japan. 40 41 Ball python exports: cruelty and commerce Photo left: Snakes on display at a pet expo in Memphis. Photo bottom: Vendor with a designer Ball python. WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 11 3/8/20 8:07 PM12 Figure 1. Housing assessment for the 4,855 Ball pythons observed at exotic pet expositions in North America and Europe during the study. Criteria score (see Figure 2) is based on the minimum recommended requirements (1-2 = below minimum requirements; 3 = adequate i.e. minimum requirements met). USA 1,364 Canada 1,245 Spain 221 Netherlands 1,598 UK 427 TOTAL 4,855 Number of snakes 0 Housing assessment category Percentage of snakes observed Hygiene Mobility Shelter Substrate Water 25 50 75 100 Score 1 2 3 For wild Ball pythons that become exotic pets, concerns about welfare begin the moment they are captured 42 . Stress and potential for illness and injury can result at every stage: capture, transportation and handling before they are exported and subsequently imported, through to their arrival in the hands of a breeder or vendor. 43 After that point, their quality of life can diminish even further they are often made to endure inappropriate long-term storage, intensive captive breeding, captivity stress, and are exposed to further risk of injury and disease. 44 Unfortunately, one of the things that makes Ball pythons popular is the misconception that they require little specialized care. 45 46 But the reality is that snakes, including Ball pythons, have complex and specific requirements to meet even their most basic needs in captivity. 47 48 Most Ball python owners are not fully aware of the needs around the appropriate provision of water, shelter, floor material, hygiene levels, enrichment, places to hide/ burrow, and the room to move including the ability to extend to the full length of its body 49 . If one or more of these basic needs is lacking, the suffering of the pythons will increase, and could lead to injury, disease or even death. It is important to note that the only place that can meet their full range of behavioural and biological needs is in the wild. Its generally advised that snakes, especially those that are more reclusive, be provided with more cover such as multiple hiding spots that allow them to avoid stress. 51 Welfare concerns For Ball pythons in particular, their tendency to curl up into a tight ball and hide their heads is an example of a reclusive behaviour 50 . WAP_Ball_Python_Campaign_Report_FINAL_030820.indd 12 3/8/20 8:07 PM13 No. Category/Score 1 2 3 1 Mobility/ Space Length of enclosure = less than length of snake. Length of enclosure = length of snake. Length of enclosure = approx. 1.5 X length of snake. 2 Shelter No shelters present. Shelter present, which does not cover 100% of snake when coiled up. Shelter present, which covers 100% of snake, when coiled up. 3 Water No water present. Clean water available. Water bowl is too small to allow the snake to soak its entire body. Clean water available. Water bowl is large enough to allow the snake to soak its entire body. 4 Substrate No substrate present (covers 0% of enclosure floor). Inadequate substrate present (covers 75% of enclosure floor). 5 Hygiene Unacceptable level of hygiene. Detritus liberally present. Intermediate between 1 and 3. Acceptable level of hygiene. Detritus minimally present /absent. Figure 2. Ball python environmental assessment criteria, which was developed based on the minimum recommended requirements. A recent study of the housing conditions of more than 5,000 Ball pythons at six exotic pet expos that took place in Canada, Netherlands, Spain, the US, and UK, and 113 YouTube videos showed that most breeders and vendors use small, highly restrictive enclosures with dimensions that prevent occupants from extending their bodies to full length. 52 At the pet expos specifically, of the nearly 5,000 animals that were assessed, every single one was held in substandard conditions for mobility, shelter and water, and only four animals, or less than 0.1%, had any access to enrichment (e.g. material for climbing). Because very few vendors actually give purchasers app
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