the widespread keeping of wild pets in the Neotropics: an overlooked risk for human, livestock, and wildlife health

Zoonoses constitute a major risk to human health. Comprehensive assessments on the potential emergence of novel disease outbreaks are essential to ensure the effectiveness of sanitary controls and to establish mitigating actions.
Through a continental-scale survey of rural human settlements conducted over 13 years in 15 Neotropical countries, we document the vast extent of poaching to meet the local demand for pets, resulting in thousands of families living with ca. 275 species of wild animals without any sanitary controls. Parrots account for ca. 80% of wild pets, dying mostly from diseases at a average age of one year.
This culturally rooted tradition, which dates back to pre-Columbian times, may lead to health risks by bringing wild animals prone to carrying parasites and pathogens into close contact with humans and their exotic pets and livestock.
Although animal pathogens and parasites have been transmitted to humans for centuries, the current trend of human population growth and c..., Please refer to the Methods section and Supplementary Information of the published article., , # The widespread keeping of wild pets in the Neotropics: an overlooked risk for human, livestock, and wildlife health

**GENERAL INFORMATION**

Journal: People and Nature

ID manuscript: PAN-24-01-003

Title of Dataset: Raw data for: The widespread keeping of wild pets in the Neotropics: an overlooked risk for human, livestock, and wildlife health

Author Information

Name: Romero-Vidal, Pedro

ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0647-6953](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0647-6953)

Institution: Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, Universidad Pablo de Olavide

Email: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

 

Co-author Information

Name: Blanco, Guillermo

ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5742-4929](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5742-4929)

Institution: Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

Email:  [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

Co-author Information

Name: Barbosa, Jomar M.

ORCID: ...