Silent Invaders : Biodiversity at Risk, Social Media findings into Exotic Pet Trade in Tamil Nadu and Invasion Modeling of Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758)

Rishi Kesavan; Anbazhagan  Abinesh; Moorthi  Saran; Elangovan Vignesh; Arunkumar  Shree; Mohammed  Shahir; Edward Phillmon Smart; Nizamudheen  Moinudheen; Arockianathan Samson; Sadiq  Ali

doi:10.30550/j.azl/2198

Autores/as

Rishi Kesavan Department of Zoology, Government Arts College, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9939-968X
Anbazhagan Abinesh Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University 605001, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0337-7666
Moorthi Saran Department of Wildlife biology, Government Arts College, Ooty 643 001, Tamil Nadu, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3135-1369
Elangovan Vignesh Department of Zoology, Government Arts College, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6377-9864
Arunkumar Shree Department of Wildlife biology, Government Arts College, Ooty 643 001, Tamil Nadu, India https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0166-1364
Mohammed Shahir Department of Zoology, Government Arts College, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3243-9997
Edward Phillmon Smart Centre for Landscape Ecology, Fedstan GMC Register Private Limited, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, In- dia 600040 https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1066-0375
Nizamudheen Moinudheen Independent Biologist in Nilgiri Hills Tamil Nadu 643 001, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5887-2395
Arockianathan Samson Bombay Natural History Society, Vulture Programme, Vulture conservation Breeding center, Bhopal 462 044, Madhya Pradesh, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0804-7941
Sadiq Ali Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust, Ooty, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu 643105, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30550/j.azl/2198

Palabras clave:

Fauna exótica como mascotas, invasión global, calentamiento climático, gestión de residuos sólidos para reptiles, redes sociales, conservación regional

Resumen

Este estudio investiga el comercio de mascotas exóticas en Tamil Nadu mediante el análisis de videos de YouTube, que revelaron la presencia de 148 especies de mascotas vendidas en tiendas de mascotas. Entre estas, 12 especies fueron clasificadas como En Peligro, 15 como Vulnerables, 3 como Casi Amenazadas, 101 como Preocupación Menor y 18 como No Evaluadas, según la Lista Roja de la UICN. También se examinó el estatus CITES de cada especie para evaluar sus regulaciones comerciales. Además, se cartografió la presencia de especies exóticas invasoras registradas en los videos y que ya existen en la naturaleza en India. Se realizó un modelo de distribución de especies utilizando MaxEnt para Iguana iguana a nivel mundial, evaluando la idoneidad del hábitat actual y futuro. Los resultados indicaron un alto potencial para que la especie se establezca y se reproduzca en India, lo que representa una grave amenaza ecológica. Una encuesta entre propietarios de tiendas de mascotas reveló un conocimiento limitado de las regulaciones del comercio de mascotas y las prácticas de cría. En general, los hallazgos priorizan la urgente necesidad de una aplicación más estricta de las leyes sobre el comercio de mascotas, una mayor concienciación pública y medidas proactivas para prevenir posibles invasiones de especies
exóticas.

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