The Malaysian Insight

EXOTIC animals are now popular among Malaysians, especially children, because they need minimal care, an exotic pet shop owner said.

They are said to be easy to care for and cheap to feed.

Leslie Lim, the owner of Reptiles Super Store in Puchong, has dabbled with exotic animals since his university days.

Conservationists, however, said that exotic wildlife, while bred in captivity, could still be traded illegally.

Data from Traffic, a global wildlife trade specialist in wild animals and plants, showed that the legal wildlife trade is worth €100 billion (RM455 billion) in the European Union alone, but the legal trade is often overshadowed by wildlife crime and illegal trade. – August 1, 2022.