IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), Boa and Python Specialist Group

Each year, approximately 300,000 reticulated pythons (Python reticulatus) are harvested from the wild in Indonesia and Malaysia to supply skins for the international trade in exotic leathers. Concerns have been raised about the sustainability of such a high level of off-take, along with issues related to illegal trade and humane treatment of snakes.

This report is the first one delivered under the Python Conservation Partnership. Established in November 2013, the Partnership aims to contribute to the improved sustainability of the python skin trade and to help facilitate industry-wide change. The present report provides information on how pythons are farmed in Asia, farming’s impact on local livelihoods and the relative contribution of captive python skins to the total trade.