Largest importer of savannah monitors

A medium-sized lizard native to much of sub-Saharan Africa, the savannah monitor Varanus exanthematicus is also a popular pet on account of its impressive appearance but docile nature, and is imported from the wild in very considerable numbers. According to CITES, which has maintained records of international trade in this species since the mid-1970s, the USA is unquestionably the biggest importer, totalling 642,500 specimens up to 2010, with gross imports of 20,759 live specimens per year between 1979 and 2009. Moreover, between 1999 and 2009 the average count was 30,402 specimens imported per year.

In total, the UK, Germany, Canada, Japan, Spain, France, Taiwan and the Netherlands recorded gross imports of 145,711 savannah monitor specimens up to 2010. Such high figures probably help to explain the surprisingly low retail price for specimens of this species in the USA, which can be as low as US$20.