The most common reasons for wanting exotic animals were about the notions of “kawaii (cute)” and “iyashi” (cure), the same motivations for keeping more common pets such as cats and dogs. In addition, 16% expressed rarity as an important factor in the desire for exotic animals. Look at ちゃんねる鰐 (Channeru Wani, aka Alligator Channel), he has all kinds of exotic animals. Mostly reptiles, but he also had emus. Another popular channel is あにまるず, they have a pet penguin with a duck, various cats and other exotic animals. It is increasingly recognised that the use of exotic animals also poses other risks, including infectious diseases, animal welfare and interference with ecosystems. Good websites and sources: Japan and the International Wildlife Trade (2001) forests.org/archive/asia; Stage beetles members.jcom.home.ne.jp; Japanese beetle asahi-net.or.jp; Kids Web Japan on stage Beetles web-japan.org/kidsweb/archives/cool; insect smuggling thefreelibrary.com; Mushi King — King of the mushiking.com Beetles; Cockfighting robots walyou.com/blog While regulations need to be strengthened and enforced more rigorously, a better understanding of the risks associated with pet ownership or exoticism is essential to building healthy and safe relationships between humans and wildlife. “Banning crowded wildlife markets is just one step towards protecting public health. Avid importers of exotic animals – and the precursors of environmental disasters – are also complicit in the spread of disease. For Japan, the revision of tariffs on the coast could have far-reaching consequences.
In February 2021, WWF Japan conducted research to better understand the extent and drivers of exotic animal use in Japan. This provided initial insights into consumers` motivation to interact with and own exotic animals, as well as some clues on how consumer demand reduction initiatives should be designed to resonate with consumers and reduce demand. In September 2008, pet store owner Naoki Bando was arrested for having 51 poisonous snakes in his home. The snakes were discovered when Bando called an ambulance after being bitten by one of the snakes, a deadly green mamba from Africa, while feeding them. While in critical condition in hospital, he was convicted of violating animal welfare laws. Beijing has not banned the trade in exotic animals, and buying exotic animals is by no means an isolated activity. Japan is also an important player in global industry. TRAFFIC has led the implementation of several initiatives that include behaviour change methods to reduce demand for illegal wildlife products, including elephants, rhinos, tigers, pangolins and rosewood. TRAFFIC also participates in numerous international initiatives and forums and manages the Community of Practice (www.changewildlifeconsumers.org Community of Practice for Social and Behaviour Change. TRAFFIC is working with WWF on the initiative to meet consumer demand for exotic animals in Japan. Japan is one of the world`s largest markets for exotic animals and trendsetters of exotic pet coffees that are spreading throughout Asia. A striking example is the recent increase in demand for otters.
A survey conducted by TRAFFIC in 2018 found that the small-clawed otter Aonyx cinereus has been rapidly gaining popularity in Japan since about 2012 due to mass media and social media attention. This has led to a rapid expansion of otter cafes and the sale of otters to keep as private pets, which has proven to encourage the illegal trade in otters from Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand. March 3, 2021 – Japan: Owning and interacting with exotic animals is becoming increasingly popular in Japan despite the risks involved, so research has been conducted to better understand the reasons for this behavior, highlighting a strong groundswell of support for strengthening the regulation of trade and handling of exotic animals. Japan has passed several national animal welfare laws since 1973, but its animal protection is considered weak by international standards. [1] Animal activism and animal welfare laws in Japan focus primarily on the welfare of domestic animals and livestock. [2] There was low awareness of the top five risks associated with exotic animals. A staggering 68% said they knew little or nothing about their potential to spread infectious diseases, animal welfare, impact on the endangered status of many species, illegal trade, and risks from invasive species. “Among the exotic animals seized from Japanese shores, many species cause infectious diseases” I`m working on fiction and I want one of the characters to have an extremely dangerous animal. Currently, I think of a super toxic jellyfish kept in an aquarium. What exotic/unusual animals are allowed to be kept legally in Japan that would be very deadly if allowed to attack someone? “The survey suggests that mere awareness of the risks associated with keeping exotic animals is not enough to significantly reduce the intent of potential buyers to interact with and own these animals.
A better understanding of people`s underlying motivations is key to developing effective initiatives that can bring about lasting change in their behaviour and protect species from decline,” Kitade added. The situation is worse than I imagined. In my last column (May 8), I wrote about smugglers bringing live primates to Japan in their luggage. A few days after this column appeared, I was put in touch with an importer of exotic animals who confirmed to me that government oversight of the animal trade is disastrous. At the end of the day, if you hire ocean freight forwarders, you don`t have to worry about any of that. You will definitely insist on following import regulations for exotic animals in Japan. After all, they don`t want to jeopardize their business. Japan has one of the largest markets for the exotic animal trade, which threatens the survival of many wildlife species. [26] Exotic animal cafes, where wild animals are often kept in inappropriate conditions, can be found throughout the country. Asian small-clawed otters, a species native to Southeast Asia whose international trade has been banned by CITES,[27] are particularly popular on social media, accused of boosting demand. [28] More frightening than these numbers, however, is the fact that cases of exotic animal smuggling are rarely detected on Japanese shores. And to our knowledge, the sentences are minor, with relatively short sentences that mark all known cases with prison sentences.
This contributes to a high rate of recidivism in animal trafficking. The results showed that one in three (33%) is interested in petting exotic animals, while one in six (17%) is interested in keeping them as pets. Interest in exotic animals was higher in younger age groups, with adolescents twice as likely to show interest as all respondents. These laws mean nothing. People who don`t want to follow them simply won`t. There are two reasons for this. First, there is little compliance. Second, law-abiding people do not know what they are doing. Normally, customs officers cannot tell the difference between a monkey and an orangutan. Despite these obvious concerns, 25% still expressed interest in exotic animals as pets and 14% expressed interest in owning exotic animals. This clearly highlights the need for initiatives that can change behaviours and not just raise awareness of the risks associated with exotic animals. Illegal trade not only endangers the safety of animal species, but could also threaten entire human populations globally.
Among the exotic animals seized on Japanese shores, many species are the cause of infectious diseases. Japanese law states that these creatures cannot be imported into the country or quarantined upon entry. However, the current legislation hasn`t stimulated much law enforcement at the border or suppressed the country`s strong appetite for lorikeets, marmosets, and slow pythons. Beyond otters, the demand for exotic animals in Japan is wide and growing. There is a growing demand for several rare and protected species of a number of taxa. In 2017, for example, more than 600 species of reptiles were observed in a TRAFFIC market study, while the number of “owl coffees” increased sharply. Japan is a country with many different animals, from cats and dogs to more exotic animals like bears and salamanders. Of course, you won`t keep these savages as pets. But unfortunately, it is not uncommon for these animals to be imported or exported.