The unregulated exotic pet trade has led to numerous ecological and ethical failures, particularly when demand outpaces oversight. The global popularity of clownfish after Finding Nemo caused mass wild collection that devastated local populations and coral reef ecosystems. Similarly, overharvesting of Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus)—considered a status symbol—has pushed the species to near extinction in some regions despite its protected status. Even small invertebrates are not exempt: the illegal trade of tarantulas and rare isopods has led to habitat depletion, unsafe transportation practices (often involving unmarked mail shipments), and the accidental release of non-native species into fragile ecosystems.

Without certification or regulation, specimens are often sold to the highest bidder, excluding scientists, educators, and conservationists while rewarding those with the most disposable income—regardless of expertise or care standards.

This system not only endangers biodiversity, but also undermines public trust in ethical captive breeding and responsible stewardship.

If only there was an alternative that offered a way to receive exotic organisms in an ethical way that also supported local research and conservation efforts in their country of origin… that’s where we come in!

(Photos courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Earthlings.Global supports citizen science and ecological education through hands-on experiences with exotic organisms. We help hobbyist communities, classrooms, and conservation groups build meaningful relationships (across species and geographies) in support of the small lifeforms that have an enormous impact on our planet’s ecosystems!

Our work includes:

Partnering with institutions to ethically source charismatic organisms and distribute them to a global network of trained stewards— building a living bridge between field sites, classrooms, and community labs.

Designing participatory research programs that empower citizen scientists to ask meaningful questions and contribute real data and ideas, while giving researchers access to decentralized, crowd-sourced observation networks.

Creating circular support systems for conservation and research, where funding flows from the people who care most— researchers, educators, activists, hobbyists, conscientious Earthlings— directly back into habitat protection, local livelihoods, and regenerative science.

We collaborate with educators, scientists, and community leaders to make the wonder of these organisms more accessible, more joyful, and more deeply rooted in reciprocity. We're starting with invertebrates—but the vision is much bigger.

(Photo courtesy Earthlings.NYC)

The exotic pet trade has long been dominated by opaque supply chains, extractive sourcing, and a highest-bidder economy that excludes scientists, educators, and conservationists. Earthlings.Global offers a new model—one that disrupts this system by creating transparent, ethical certifications for the sourcing and stewardship of exotic organisms, starting with invertebrates and expanding outward.

By connecting institutional partners with a network of trained citizen scientists, Earthlings.Global supports living research collections that are traceable, non-exploitative, and grounded in reciprocal care. Participating stewards contribute observational data through open-access platforms, unlocking research potential through their sheer quantity of observation time and who each bring their unique perspective to the challenge. It's a system where scientific discovery is no longer confined to universities and large institutions.

Did you know that hobbyists invented the now-widely used rain chamber to support rare frog breeding? Did you know that many of the world’s most critically endangered turtles only exist in hobbyist security populations? In a worldwide biodiversity crisis that requires “all hands on deck,” Earthlings.Global is mobilizing citizen scientists to answer the call.

Ultimately, we envision a world where people rewild corners of their homes, classrooms, and offices — not to decorate with living trophies, but to offer sanctuary to displaced organisms whose native habitats have been degraded or destroyed. Through this model, care becomes conservation, and amateur participation becomes a meaningful part of global ecological repair.