How is it that axolotls are listed as “critically endangered” species, but they are allowed to be pets that don’t even sell for more that much?

Question

Apparently there are breeders making Axolotls and they only go for a few hundred bucks at most. How is this possible? And how are so many people able to own them as pets if they are very close to extinction?

In: 6261

Answer 1

From the ICUN red list definition

>CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
>At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

Key bit being “in the wild”

100m in captivity, 5 in the wild = Critically endangered.