black-market pet trade
nounUK /ˌblæk ˈmɑːkɪt pɛt treɪd/
US /ˌblæk ˈmɑːrkɪt pɛt treɪd/
The secret and illegal buying and selling of animals as pets.
The black-market pet trade is harmful because it takes wild animals from their homes.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The underground business of selling exotic or protected animals without permission.
Police broke up a black-market pet trade ring selling rare parrots.
3. The unlawful exchange of animals for money, often across borders.
Customs officers work to stop the black-market pet trade at airports.
4. A hidden market where people buy and sell animals that laws protect.
Many reptiles in the black-market pet trade are taken from the wild.