Tarantula Pet Trade and Conservation
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Tarantula Pet Trade and Conservation
Dear Tarantulalovers,

We’d like to invite all enthusiasts, researchers and conservationists of tarantula spiders with theoretical and / or practical experience, both professional and amateur, to participate in our query on tarantula trade and conservation issues.

The purpose of this short ANONYMOUS survey is to find out to what HOBBYISTS, RESEARCHERS, BREEDERS, COLLECTORS, RETAILERS, ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS and other parts think about tarantula trade and conservation, and discover some traits and trends of the tarantula pet market.

It is important to LISTEN TO ALL PARTS involved in tarantula trade and realize their point of view in order to conciliate interests and to think in better practices regarding tarantula conservation.

Results will eventually be published if deemed worthwhile and all individual answers will remain anonymous. For any questions regarding this query, please contact Pedro Cardoso (pedro.cardoso@helsinki.fi) or Caroline Fukushima (caroline.fukushima@helsinki.fi)

OBS: If you are underage, please complete the survey only after parental permission.
Please provide your name. (This information is will be used only for contact purposes if we have questions about your responses) OPTIONAL
Please provide your e-mail address. (This information is will be used only for contact purposes if we have questions about your responses) OPTIONAL
DEMOGRAPHIC AND PROFILE QUESTIONS
A. What is your gender? *
B. What is your age? *
C. What is your highest level of completed education? *
D. Where do you live (country)? *
E. Do you keep tarantulas as pets? *
F. Please indicate the single option that best reflects your MAIN interest in tarantulas: *
G. For how long have you held this interest in spiders as selected in the question above? If you selected "pet owner", when did you acquire your first tarantula? *
If you own a tarantula pet, please answer the following questions, even if you have selected other option as your main interest about spiders in the question above. If you don't have a tarantula pet, please skip to question #7.
TARANTULA OWNER QUESTIONS
1. How many tarantulas do you currently keep as pets?
Clear selection
2. Do you keep any other exotic pet(s)? Please select all that apply.
3. Where do you acquire new tarantulas? Please select all that apply.
4. If you selected "Online, from stores located in another country", please indicate in which countries the stores are located. If you prefer, indicate the names of the stores.
5. Are you part of a society of tarantula hobbyists?
Clear selection
6. Do you regularly participate of online hobbyist forums and social media groups about tarantulas?
Clear selection
TRADE QUESTIONS
The following questions are for everyone, tarantula pet owner or not:
7. If you do not keep tarantulas, which areas do you consider the main sources of tarantula SPECIES to the pet trade in your country? If you keep tarantulas, where are the tarantula SPECIES you keep from? State the countries or just the areas if you prefer (for example: "Caribbean", "Southern Asia" and so on). *
8. Regarding people who collect tarantulas in the wild to sell them in the pet market, where they usually come from? *
9. Regarding people who collect tarantulas in the wild to sell them in the pet market, who do you consider the most common type of collector? *
10. Rank the importance of the sources of tarantulas in your country (1 = unimportant source, 5 = very important source).  If you are MAINLY a tarantula owner, please answer according to your own experience: *
1
2
3
4
5
Fairs and markets
Local pet shops
Online stores located in your country
Online stores located in another country
Social media ( ex.: Facebook, Instagram, etc)
Personal collection in nature (I or someone I know)
Online forums
Other
If you checked "Other" > 1 in the question above, please state here what would be this other source:
11. Rank the importance of the factors that, in your opinion, people consider when buying a tarantula in your country (1 = unimportant factor, 5 = very important factor). If you are MAINLY a tarantula owner, please answer according to your own interest: *
1
2
3
4
5
Price
Legality of the specimen (if legal or illegal)
Country of origin (if a native or exotic species)
Ease of purchase
Sex or life stage of the specimen
Size of the species
Color of the species
Venom toxicity
Rarity in the market
Temperament or behavior
Other's people advice
Wild-caught origin
Other
If you checked "Other" > 1 in the question above, please state here what would be this other factor:
12. If you do not keep tarantulas, what do you consider the main influence for having the first tarantula as a pet in your country? If you keep tarantulas, what drove you to this hobby? *
13. Rank the importance of the sources of general information about tarantulas in your country (1 = unimportant source, 5 = most important source): *
1
2
3
4
5
Scientific papers or researchers
YouTube channels
Breeders' websites
Online forums
Google
Social media (ex.: Facebook groups)
Hobbyist association journals and meetings
Documentaries or shows about tarantulas
14. How likely is illegal trade to represent a threat to native populations of tarantulas worldwide? *
15.  How do you consider the purchase of wild-caught tarantulas in your country? *
16. Have you been in contact with illegal tarantula trade in your country? Rank the frequency of contact with illegal trade in each place. (1 = never had contact, 5 = often have contact) *
1
2
3
4
5
Fairs and markets
Local pet shop
Online stores located in your country
Online store located in another country
Social media
I know illicit collectors or I do the illicit collection myself
Online forums
In a hobbyist society
Other
If you checked "Other" > 1 in the question above, please state here where did you have contact with illegal trade:
17. Are you aware of the laws that regulate collecting, transporting, importing, exporting, buying and selling tarantulas in your country? *
18. Based on your experience, what would be the share of illegal tarantula trade regarding number of specimens in your country? *
19. How would you rate the level of enforcement related to national and local restrictions in controlling illegal tarantula trade in your country? *
CONSERVATION QUESTIONS
20. Are you interested in tarantula conservation? *
21. Rank the importance of the actions to control illegal tarantula trade globally (1 = unimportant factor, 5 = most important factor) *
1
2
3
4
5
Public education campaigns
Improve enforcement of laws
Stricter laws
Provide other income generating opportunities to collectors and traders
Stimulate captive breeding
Creation of certifications and tax incentives to legal sellers and breeders
Other
If you consider "Other" > 1 in the question above, please name here the action:
22. Rank the importance of the conservation actions to be adopted globally to protect tarantulas (1 = unimportant action, 5 = most important action): *
1
2
3
4
5
Curb illegal trade
Ban tarantula trade, legal or illegal
Protect their natural habitat
Support legal breeders
Support scientific research on tarantula ecology and taxonomy
Include more species on CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)
Include more species on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Keep tarantulas in captivity (as a personal pet)
Support reintroduction programs
Other
If you checked "Other" > 1 in the question above, please name here the conservation action:
23. Would buyers be willing to pay more if the source of the tarantula was legal? If you are a tarantula owner, would you? *
Please state any further suggestions or comments about the survey. Let us know if you have any additional information on this topic, whether it be reports, studies or data (e.g. lists of species traded and their abundance and price at markets) that might be useful to this research.  FEEL FREE TO WRITE TO US. Thank you!
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