In China, lots of species are illegal. Most of the pet snakes are legal. If the customer wants some rare or special ones though, I can help.

Title: Huang Jia Chen – Exotic Pets Collector

I got my first snake in junior high school. Before that, I had kept lots of reptiles, such as turtles and lizards. More and more people are keeping reptiles. They have their advantages. They’re easy to clean, quiet, tidy, and they don’t need much attention. People are getting busier and busier. Reptiles are very new and fashionable as pets.

Title: China is seeing a sharp increase in the number of non-traditional exotic pets.

Title: Trading of species for pet ownership has become a significant part of the global wildlife trade.

First it was just a hobby, then I started to keep more and more. When there were lots, I started to breed them. Then I began to sell them. It’s like a snowball getting bigger and bigger. We’ve just started our business which has been successful until now. The market for retiles will be larger and larger. I buy different species from all over the world because I need different species and lineages.

Title: The U.S. imports over 200 million live animal specimens every year. About 70% come from markets and breeding centers in Asia.

Title: Unregulated trade in species is believed to be a major driver of global biodiversity loss.

If you have money and influence, you can get whatever you want. It’s not only true for China but the whole world. Just maybe in Cjhina this is more universal. Most of the people who buy endangered species are beginner collectors or they are just vain. They don’t really know these animals. They just think if they keep endangered animals people will think they are cool. This is all they think about.

Title: Beijing Pet Market

Title: China’s markets offer a wide variety of exotic species for the public to purchase.

Title: Fennec Fox – Origin: Sahara De sert, North Africa

Title: Sugar Glider – Origin: Northern Australia and New Guinea

Title: Black Tip Reef Sharks – Origin: Indian Ocean, Western and Central Pacific Ocean

Title: Cranwell’s Horned Frog – Origin: Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil

Title: Saltwater Crocodile – Origin: South & South-east Asia, Northern Australia

Title: Rainbow Stag Beetle – Origin Australia & New Guinea

Some people buy these animals to keep as pets. Those who keep raptors at home just want something rare. I’ve loved animals since I was a child.

Title: Zhou Lei – Beijing Raptor Rescue Center

I studied a zoology-related major in university. I work as a raptor rehabilitation therapist. I mainly help raptors to recover in this center.

Title: Beijing Raptor Rescue Center cares for injured birds and those rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.

Often the birds were kept at home for some time before being sent to us. When the birds came here, they were in a serious condition. After all, the home environment has negative influences on the animals both physically and psychologically.

In order to avoid problems, we conduct health checks every 2-3 weeks. For wounded birds, we dress wounds regularly including cleaning and bandaging.

Part of our responsibility is to rescue and rehabilitate raptors. We also aim to promote the awareness of scientific rescue and the benefits of animals.

Title: Since 2011, the center has rescued over 4000 birds of 30 different species.

Title: Domestic species are released back into the wild after rehabilitation.

It's exciting to free the birds back into nature. After caring for the birds for a long time, seeing them return to a free life is the biggest accomplishment of our work. I’ve been asked if I feel sad seeing them leave. No, I don’t because they shouldn’t come here. They belong to the sky.

Title: The lines between the legal and illegal trade of wildlife remain blurred in China.

Title: The country’s changing role in the global exotic pet trade further threatens the future of species across the world.

Title: A film by Sean Gallagher

Title: Funded by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

Title: Special Thanks: Olivia Zhang, Fu Shuojie, Bruce Zhang – International Fund for Animal Welfare