Fueling the Fire: How the Pet Industry Drives Suffering in the Wildlife Trade

A Cruel Reality

Every year, millions of wild animals are forced into the cruel wildlife trade for use as food, traditional medicine, or entertainment. They’re also sold as “pets.”

Pet retail giants PetSmart and Petco fuel this deadly trade. In their more than 3,000 stores across the US, Canada, and Mexico, PetSmart and Petco sell numerous wild animal species, including parakeets, aquatic turtles, lizards, and snakes. Whether sold online or in stores, shipped from distant countries, or bred domestically, the result is the same—animal suffering.

From Cruel Mills to a Lifetime of Captivity

Birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals like hamsters are bred in cruel mills where many animals die. If they survive the journey to pet stores, they’re then sold to families.

In captivity, behaviors like exploring, foraging, or even regulating their body temperature are restricted. Wild animals are meant to fly through the sky, swim in rivers, or bask in the desert sun—not spend a lifetime in a cage or tank.

Pet Stores Are a Major Driver of Wild Animal Sales in the US

The number one source for birds, reptiles, and fish are pet superstores or pet shops. The next most popular source for these species is a friend or relative, which means these animals were likely purchased at stores as well.

As the two largest pet retailers in the United States, PetSmart and Petco are pushing wild animals into people’s homes.