Endangered and Dangerous: How a Special Exemption from CITES Appendix I Classification Could Counterintuitively Protect Certain Reptile Species from Extinction

Dangerous reptile species face a bleak future, as humans are instinctually-driven to kill wild snakes and crocodiles. Fortunately, people are also economically-driven to rear domesticated snakes and crocodiles for their skins. However, regulations that impose barriers to the international trade of endangered species are currently being exploited by wealthy nations such as the U.S. and Australia to protect their domestic reptile markets from foreign competition. This article argues that signatories to the CITES treaty should immediately lift domestic restrictions on the importation of Appendix I reptiles raised in CITES-certified farms, and also support proposals to downgrade dangerous reptiles from Appendix I to Appendix II classification.