Affiliation
IIED
Date Of Record Entry
Type of wild species covered by the record
Wild species used in its natural habitat
Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site (e.g., cultivated wild specimens, eggs/juveniles from the wild)
Wild species born/bred and raised/produced in captivity or through artificial propagation (e.g., activities such as closed-cycle breeding, horticulture or aquaculture)
Stage of the value chain covered by the record
Unknown/not recorded
Record Source
Scientific publication (e.g., journal articles and book chapters independently peer-reviewed)
Blind Trading: A Literature Review of Research Addressing the Welfare of Ball Pythons in the Exotic Pet Trade
Decreasing
Is the species endemic HIDE
No
Population Status
Unknown/not recorded
Formal international protection in place
International Level
National Level
Unknown/not recorded
Threats/Pressures impacting the conservation of the species
Population Trend
Unknown/not recorded
Sub-national Level
Unknown/not recorded
Additional Details (if available)
This species is commonly poached for meat, leather and for use in traditional medicine; secondary threats also exist from habitat modification through processes including agricultural intensification and pesticide use (Toudonou 2015, N. D'Cruze pers. comm. 2020), and human population growth is expected to exacerbate all of these pressures The biggest threat is, however, most likely the international exotic pet trade.
Name
Emma Hemmerlé
Scientific Name
Python regius
Common Name(s)
Ball python
Type of Use
Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)
If extractive, for the target species, is this use
Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of
The whole entire organism
How is the primary use carried out?
Are specific characteristics/traits being targeted?
Unknown/not recorded
Purpose of Use
Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
What is the main end use for any living organisms, parts or products taken/extracted?
What is the trend in the level of offtake within the period covered by this record?
Is there a regulatory or customary regime in place to govern this use?
Geographic Location
Is the site legally/formally protected?
Unknown/not recorded
Ownership
Management
National external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
International external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
National / local private sector
International private sector
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
No
Contribution to GDP
Unknown/not recorded
Food
Energy
Medicine/healthcare
Education
Training/Skills
Land/Resource Rights
Decision Making
Conflict- people
Conflict- wildlife
Climate Change
Has the use of the species been recorded as resulting in changes to human health in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the species in use been noted as being of particular disease risk to humans?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the use of the species resulted in changes to animal welfare in this record?
Yes, recorded as negative
Are there particular practices which have increased the risk to human or animal health or welfare in the use of this species?
Unknown/not recorded
Does the use of this species increase susceptibility to pathogen spread?
Unknown/not recorded
Detail of aspects of animal welfare affected
From the limited literature available it is already clear there are a multitude of welfare issues associated with different aspects of the trade chain.
Unknown/not recorded
Biological characteristics of target species
Absent
Is this use legal or illegal?
Source Reference(s)
Green, J., Coulthard, E., Megson, D., Norrey, J., Norrey, L., Rowntree, J. K., Bates, J., et al. (2020). Blind Trading: A Literature Review of Research Addressing the Welfare of Ball Pythons in the Exotic Pet Trade. Animals, 10(2), 193. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani10020193
Who is involved in the use?
Is there any gender/age specificity in the various roles
Unknown/not recorded
How many of these local jobs accure to the following categories?
How many people outside the local area are employed
Is there any evidence of other economic benefits associated with this use beyond direct income and jobs
Unknown/Not recorded
Scale of Assessment
IUCN National Red List Category
IUCN Global Red List Category
Green Status Global Category
Yearly Financial Flows
No assessment recorded
No assessment has been recorded