Investigation into how social media fuels the exotic pet trade, particularly among younger people, both in making cute or unusual animals appear desirable - especially where they can feature in social media videos - and also facilitating a totally unregulated online exotic pet marketplace.
The film highlights some of the darker fallouts of this boom that are not depicted on social media, going undercover to show how unscrupulous breeders are disregarding animal welfare for profit, selling monkeys and reptiles with no regard for their well-being. Platform s like TikTok and Facebook are driving a surge of interest in exotic pets, leading to a rise in unscrupulous practices which need to be exposed.
This film is part of Channel 4’s popular UNTOLD strand. UNTOLD delivers defining, noisy, brave, bold, compelling and cheeky journalism on subjects that really matter to it's viewers.
Also available:
Trapped in a Gang
The Secret World of Boy Racers
My Big Boobs
The Cost of Being a YouTuber
The Secrets of UK Prisons
Trapped in Trauma
Jailed over a Group Chat
The Secret World of Fight Clubs