Every like, every share, every viral clip of a wild animal on a sofa feeds a demand that ends in suffering. A major new study reveals the uncomfortable truth about Britain’s role in Europe’s exotic pet trade and the scourge of wildlife trafficking.
It begins, as so many modern crises do, with a scroll. A talking African grey parrot racking up millions of views. A serval cat draped across a sofa cushion. A sugar glider perched on a teenager’s shoulder, soundtracked by something upbeat and entirely at odds with the animal’s distress. The content is cute, shareable, algorithmically irresistible, and according to a stark new report from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), it is helping to fuel one of the world’s largest and most destructive illicit trades.
The study, which surveyed 620 wild animal pet owners in the UK, paints a troubling picture of a nation that knows better but clicks anyway. Despite 57 per cent of respondents believing that liking or sharing content featuring wild animal pets increases demand for them, 18 per cent still engage with such content at least once a week. It is a disconnect that has real-world consequences: recent UK Border Force data shows a 73 per cent increase in wild animal seizures since 2023. In a single month in 2025, officers confiscated more than 250 endangered species and illegal wildlife products.
“Millions of wild animals are being exploited for the pet trade,” said Samara P. El-Haddad, Senior Programs Officer at IFAW UK.
“This causes suffering and, in many cases, deaths for individual animals, as well as contributing to the decline of wild species populations and undermining conservation efforts.”
“Not only this, but biodiversity is placed under increased strain, at a time when many ecosystems are already at breaking point. Online platforms and social media influencers producing viral content have a lot to answer for, helping to glamorise the ownership of wild animals as pets.”
The parrot problem
Few species illustrate the scale of the crisis more starkly than the African grey parrot. Around 1.3 million wild African greys were traded between 1975 and 2015, and wild populations have plummeted by roughly 90 per cent in some regions over the past half century, driven largely by the pet trade. Yet the biggest social media accounts dedicated to African greys kept as pets boast well in excess of a million followers.
“A video of a talking parrot such as an African Grey may be cute, but the reality is that it’s inspiring people to keep their own as pets, fuelling a deeply cruel and illegal trade, happening right here in Europe,” El-Haddad added.
Public understanding of the species’ conservation status remains limited. Many people are unaware that the African grey is endangered, and some still believe they make suitable pets.
A licensing crisis nobody talks about
The IFAW research also exposed a deeply concerning gap in regulatory awareness. More than half of wild animal pet owners, 54 per cent, did not know whether their current or past pets required a licence. Of those who did know a licence was needed, 84 per cent did not have one.
It is a finding that resonates with Kevin Lacks-Kelly, Chief Inspector and Head of the National Wildlife Crime Unit. “As we continue to raise the profile of rare and protected species, we are seeing that people who love wildlife are on occasions unintentionally becoming part of the problem,” he said. “We need greater awareness of the legal and illegal trade and how the lines between the two can often be blurred, leading to seemingly innocent people with a love of animals committing crimes. For wildlife crime to be addressed properly, it needs a collective voice to be heard loud and clear, because wild animals, are of course, voiceless.”
When good intentions go wrong
UK charity Cats Protection reports growing interest from the public in animals like servals and hybrid cats, without full awareness of what caring for them actually involves.
Jeff Knott, Advocacy and Influence Director at Cats Protection, said: “We are seeing interest in animals like servals and hybrid cats grow, often without full awareness of what’s involved in caring for them. While they may look similar to large domestic cats, these animals have very different physical and behavioural needs that simply can’t be met in a typical home environment. Our centres are already beginning to see the impact of this rising interest, and it’s a worrying early sign. Wild cats and hybrid cats are far more difficult to place safely and responsibly. That’s why it’s so important to pause, think carefully, and focus on what’s truly best for these animals.”
“This is a clear case of when good intentions go wrong,” El-Haddad added. “If an animal is taken from the wild and placed in a home environment, it doesn’t make them domesticated. Even if bred in captivity, it is still a wild animal, not suited to a life in captivity. But unfortunately, this trade thrives on misinformation. It presents wild animals as suitable companions while obscuring the true cost to animals, ecosystems, and people.”
A European problem hiding in plain sight
Additional IFAW research across five European countries, including the UK, surveyed more than 3,700 respondents and found broad public agreement that the status quo is failing. Seventy per cent of people said wild animals do not make good pets. Eighty-two per cent believe wildlife trafficking is a serious global problem that needs greater attention. And 84 per cent believe European wildlife protection laws need strengthening.
Yet awareness of the scale of the crisis remains low. Only one in three people realise that Europe is a major hub for wildlife trafficking, or that online platforms play a significant role. Just 54 per cent believe individuals can play a role in reducing it.
It is estimated that 64 million wild animals are currently being kept as exotic pets across Europe, captured in the wild and trafficked into the continent to fuel unrelenting demand.
‘Conservation isn’t a trend’
Cam Whitnall, presenter, conservationist and owner of The Big Cat Sanctuary, said: “The exotic pet trade is one of the most misunderstood animal welfare crises of our time, and social media has quietly turned it into a trend. Every like, every share, every viral clip of a wild cat on a sofa feeds a demand that ends in suffering, and at The Big Cat Sanctuary, we’re the ones left picking up the pieces. We fully support IFAW’s call for a UK Lacey Act and a Positive List, because regulation alone can’t fix this without all of us taking responsibility for the online culture that glamorises wild animal ownership. If we truly love these species, we need to stop sharing content that treats them as accessories and pets, and start supporting the laws, organisations, and choices that protect them. Conservation isn’t a trend, it’s a responsibility we all share.”
What IFAW is calling for
To tackle the growing crisis, IFAW is calling on the UK government to act urgently on three fronts: the introduction of a UK version of the US Lacey Act, which would criminalise the import, possession and sale of wildlife taken in violation of foreign laws; the deployment of forensic tools such as X-Ray Fluorescence and Stable Isotope Analysis at ports and borders to verify the origins of wild animals; and the implementation of a Positive List system for pet ownership, ensuring only animals capable of thriving in captivity and posing no danger to people or local environments can be kept as pets.
IFAW has also launched its “Liked to Death” campaign, designed to stop people engaging with content online that fuels the wild animal pet trafficking trade.
The message is clear: the next time a cute exotic animal video appears in your feed, think before you tap. That double-tap might cost more than you think.
To learn more about the campaign visit: www.ifaw.org/campaigns/wildlife-crime-europe
