The European Union (EU) is one of the global major importers of living reptiles, as well as their parts and products (such as leather). The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates the international trade in species listed in the Appendices of the convention.
Since several years, a shift of the international reptile trade from wild specimens towards specimens bred in captivity is recognized. About 83% of traded reptiles are claimed not to be of „wild“ source. However, these source codes are in some cases highly questionable. As such, the verification of the captive breeding of specimens poses an increasing challenge to national and international CITES authorities and became of increasing significance for the work of international bodies of the convention.