Concerns about exotic pet trade in Japan

[dArKeR]

Demand for rare reptiles as pets has made Japan one of the top markets for smuggled exotic animals and conservationists in the country are concerned that law-enforcement authorities lack teeth to deal with the problem.

"The big demand for exotic animals in Japan, particularly reptiles, encourages smugglers to poach rare foreign species," said Akiko Ishihara of Traffic East Asia-Japan, a joint wildlife trade monitoring programme of the WWF and the World Conservation Union.

But Japanese customs lacks the animal experts who could spot violations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=118917

[blindpig]

1. funny thing is, you see very few Japanese species on the market

and I've paid attention to the live reptile market for over 30 years. Not that there should be, trade in wild caught animals for the pet trade should be severely curtailed, if not banned.
Their appetite for carey is also an abomination.