In yet another indictment of the exotic pet trade, Mexican officials discovered a 2-year-old male tiger living in horrendous conditions at a junkyard in Juarez, according to Border Report.

Authorities said they found the captive animal in a chain-link enclosure with no access to drinking water. It apparently survived on a diet of leftover chicken, per Border Report.

What's happening?

Residents told Border Report that the tiger had been present at the site for several months, during which time it had even featured in social media marketing for the junkyard, dubbed Yonke El Tigre.

Officials with Mexico's federal environmental agency said they had acted based on tips from people in the area who had seen the caged animal at the junkyard. The government seized the tiger and requested that a court grant it permanent custody, per Border Report.

The tragic situation highlighted the prevalence of exotic pets and the problems the trade poses not only for animals but also for humans and the environment.

"The term 'exotic pet' … contains anything from the common parakeet to a Bengal tiger," according to Michigan State University College of Law. "They are undomesticated, their genetics and traits have not been selectively chosen by humans for millennia like dogs or cats."

Every year, the global wildlife trade generates roughly $40 billion, almost half of which comes from illegal trade, per MSU Law.

Why is the exotic pet trade important?

The exotic pet trade too often forces animals to live — and die — in torturous conditions, pushes threatened and endangered species even closer to extinction, and introduces invasive species into ecosystems where they do great harm.

Exotic pets can also spread diseases, including those that can infect humans, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

As National Geographic described, animals caught in the exotic pet trade often endure incredible suffering and often death even before they reach their ultimate destinations. Court cases against animal traffickers have revealed that it is not uncommon for as many as 70% of would-be exotic pets to die in transit.

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Making matters worse, exotic pet collectors often value the rarest species most. This incentivizes poachers to snatch threatened and endangered animals from the wild, putting even further stress on strained populations.

Finally, exotic pets wreak great havoc if they become invasive species. Perhaps nowhere is this threat more evident than in South Florida, where invasive pythons first introduced via the commercial pet trade have thrived for decades in the swampy Everglades, decimating local populations of the small mammals on which they prey.  

What's being done about the exotic pet trade?

While customs enforcement and wildlife protection officials work alongside nonprofit organizations and nongovernmental organizations to prevent poaching and curb the illegal wildlife trade, the most important thing we can do is reduce global demand for exotic animals and their body parts.

If there are no buyers, there will be no incentive to traffic wildlife.

Photos and videos of exotic pets posted on social media have driven much of their recent surge in popularity. By participating in online education campaigns that highlight the many serious problems with exotic pet ownership, you can help spread the word that owning and showing off exotic pets is not cool.

Instead, owning an exotic pet makes you partially responsible for all of the horrible consequences of the exotic pet trade.

If you're in search of a pet, millions of rescue animals are in need of loving homes.

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