Amidst the doom and gloom of the internet, a curious creature cuts through the noise. With doleful eyes and tiny paws, the baby pygmy slow loris might be no bigger than an AA battery, but it’s making big waves on social media.
Our venomous primate pal is hardly the first wild animal to go viral. Others include a pair of history-making elephant shrews, an underdog macaque called Punch, a runaway capybara, the adorable Moo Deng, waving Sun bears and even a ‘feminist’ anglerfish.
The good news? These exotic creatures create a never-ending supply of entertainment for us. The bad news? A 2025 study found that 82 per cent of animals in social media videos showed signs of stress. And as these exotic creatures become more popular, demand for them in the illegal pet trade increases.
Allure of the Wild
When Paris Fury posted some holiday snaps earlier this year, the content seemed harmless enough. There she was in Thailand, posing for the camera alongside her husband and seven children. However, if you flick through enough Instagram photos, you’ll find one where her eldest daughter, Venezuela, is sitting next to a tiger cub, petting it. The image sparked concerns over the animal’s welfare, but this is just a drop in the water in terms of Thailand’s booming big cat trade. Just look at the viral video of a Thai woman (who has since been arrested) riding in her convertible Bentley with a 5ft lioness in the back seat. Lions are regularly rented out for parties and sold as pets for four-figure sums to the country’s wealthy elite. Despite legislation recently being introduced in an effort to combat this, loopholes in the law mean that breeding cubs for profit continues to be a highly lucrative industry, generating around £740,000 a year in Thailand alone.
Similar problems are occurring in Saudi Arabia. In response, the government has taken proactive steps to ban the import and possession of exotic creatures since 2018, with owners of predatory animals facing up to 10 years’ imprisonment or fines of up to 30 million riyals (£6 million). But in reality, lots of affluent Saudi families ignore these laws. Keeping leopards, cheetahs and white lions as pets has become ingrained in the Kingdom’s culture. Why? Well, these ferocious beasts supposedly reflect their owners’ wealth and bravery. That is, until they maul them. Incidents of big cats attacking their owners in Saudi Arabia made headlines in 2016, 2018 and 2021, but have also occurred more recently in South Africa, where a 57-year-old was left in critical condition by his lion pack in 2024, and Iraq, where just last year a man was killed by a lioness he kept in his back garden.
The Minecraft Effect
The media can also have an enormous impact on the demand for certain animals. Back in the ’90s, the release of Jurassic Park and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles caused a surge in the number of children who wanted to keep iguanas and terrapins as pets. In principle, this wouldn’t have been such a problem had those kids not grown bored of their exotic pets and abandoned them (those who were lucky enough to have lived long enough to be abandoned, that is). The repercussions of this can still be felt across multiple continents. For instance, Bangkok was once described as the ‘City of Dead Iguanas’ because people bought them ‘to impress their friends’ and ‘dump[ed] them in the forest’ when they ceased to be fashionable.
Today, U.S. states like California and Florida are still plagued by non-native iguanas that have been imported to the country as pets and subsequently let loose. They are known to damage infrastructure by burrowing under fencing, sidewalks and sea defences, and pose health risks to the public. Meanwhile, the south of England has experienced an increase in the number of invasive terrapins in its waterways. And all this because of one TV series. Exotic pets should never be ‘an impulse buy,’ says Dr Ros Clubb, Senior Scientific Officer at the RSPCA’s wildlife department. But too often, they are. Unfortunately, today’s young people have not learned the lessons of their predecessors.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are infatuated with the unusual animals they see on Minecraft. Launched in 2009, the game features a cornucopia of creatures, from cuddly pandas to ocelots. But none quite compare to the axolotl, an aquatic salamander that has taken the internet by storm. I have an admission to make: I love axolotls. But when I realised how specialised their needs were, I knew that keeping one wouldn’t be a responsible (or affordable) decision. In the wild, axolotls can be found in a single lake near Mexico City. Those who want to keep them in captivity must emulate their natural habitat as closely as possible. An adult axolotl requires a 20- to 40-gallon tank, plus a filter to keep it fresh. They are particularly sensitive to light and heat, so their owner should keep them away from bright lights and ensure their water temperature remains at around 16 °C. Then there is the issue of food. Brine shrimp, earthworms and bloodworms are standard nibbles that axolotls require two to three times a day over their 15-year lifespan. This is demanding, not to mention costly.
In short, the needs of the captivating axolotl are very specific and won’t be compatible with most people’s lifestyles. These exotic creatures are definitely not toys. Dr Clubb agrees, warning parents that they must ignore ‘their kids’ pleas for an axolotl, or any exotic animal.’
‘Potential owners need to make sure they can give their animal the time it needs and that they have the facilities, time, financial means and a long-term commitment to maintain a good standard of care,’ she explains.
A mix of cultural factors, turbocharged by social media, has made the keeping of exotic pets both fashionable and appealing. However, this trend carries risks for humans and beasts alike. Wild animals were never meant to be domesticated. They can easily lash out should they feel threatened. Additionally, if their owners keep them in cramped, unhygienic conditions or fail to meet their particular nutritional needs, their health will suffer.
So, whom exactly does the practice of keeping exotic animals benefit? Arguably, no one. Well, except maybe the illegal traders who profit from our whim to own these animals instead of being satisfied with appreciating them from afar.
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