CITES is an international treaty that protects plants and animals. Use this for questions about the keeping or trading protected species as pets.

CITES, or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is an international treaty that defines whether animals and plants are protected or not. Depending on the level of protection as defined by CITES, the species can be freely traded, with various levels of restrictions or not at all.

There are three Appendices defined by CITES. These three are lists of species. Each has a different level of protection.

  • Appendix I: This is the list of endangered species that are threatened by extinction. Trade of wild-caught species on this list is prohibited. Keeping these species, by zoos for example, requires permits.
  • Appendix II: These are species that are potentially harmed by trade. Trade of these species is strictly regulated.
  • Appendix III: These are species that are not harmed by trade world-wide necessarily, but rather they are restricted in certain specific countries.

More information can be found on CITES' website: https://www.cites.org/.