Kenya’s Live Reptle Export Growth 10 Fold Other Animals Cross 870,000 Mark Into World Trade May 14 2026 | Nairobi Trade in CITES-listed live specimens of captive-bred wildlife from Kenya is growing Quite a bit: the volume of live exports of CITES-listed reptile species from Kenya increased by over a factor of ten since 2000, prompting serious concern about impacts on conservation welfare disease and trade regulation.
A newly published (November 2023) peer reviewed scientific paper which examines data on the global wildlife trade reveals that more than 870,000 live Animals on the CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) list reported all caught and reported as bred in captivity, were exported from Kenya alone from 20132023.
Reptiles make up the vast percentage of all live trade records and nearly fifty percent of all live animals traded.
Exports of live reptiles were up a tremendous amount from 8,551 in 2013 to 86,330 in 2023showing a dramatic increase in the commercial trade in wildlife.
Results show that Kenya is becoming one of the key exporting countries for global pet and luxury wildlife markets, sending out the product to at least 43 importing countries in Asia Europe North America, Africa and South America.
The study Though also highlights serious deficiencies in monitoring schemes, risks to threatened species and potential public health hazards.
It clearly shows that the importance of Kenya as a supplier of pet and luxury wildlife products to the world is increasing, with exports to at least 43 importing countries in Asia Europe North America, Africa and South America.
It further reveals critical deficiencies in the monitoring systems, risks of threatened species and threats to human health tied to the wildlife trade.
Over 77% of traded taxa have depleted or unknown wild population trends, prompting the question of sustainability even where species are listed as captive-bred or ranched.
The seizure evidence clearly shows that the illegal trade, in pancake tortoises, is still happening despite the significant conservation threat they are already facing.886 CITES export records from 28 species of wild animals were reported between 20132023 Reptiles accounted for 81% of the exports records and Because of this overshadowed the trade As CITES, more than 870,00 the number of reported these species bred or ranched for export.
Of the company’s exports, 93%were commercial accounting for most of those sent North America, Europe and Asia.
Major discrepancies in the figures reported by exporters and importers for the CITES figures were shown to be indicative of deficiencies in the monitoring and reporting system.