358.14 // New research sees exotic pet populations soar
The end of the Imperium War saw an increase in many forms of trade but perhaps one that no one anticipated was exotic animal trafficking. Although a long standing practice, particularly the trafficking of exotic birds into the Core worlds, authorities are renewing efforts to restrict this activity, following new research.
The research, which looked into both native and alien bird populations of several Core planets, discovered that the past few decades have seen an explosion of non-native species compared to previous data. Just as demand for exotic and prestigious pets has increased, so has the number which inevitably escape into the wild. These escaped birds often thrive and threaten the survival of native species.
A few examples of these imported birds, such as irids, bulabirds and lesynns, are common sights on worlds such as Corellia and Fedalle. Unfortunately, experts say that there appears to be no decline in the demand for trafficked exotic pets and the risk posed to native species of all kinds will only become more significant.