Conservationist testimony, official documents and UN data show native Solomon Islands lizards being shipped to the United States, wild birds plucked from verdant rainforests and sent to the Middle East, and dolphins destined for Chinese aquariums.
Some wild animals can be captured and sold legally, but the trade in vulnerable species is governed by strict rules or even bans.
That has not stopped traders keen to cash in on the lucrative market for exotic pets.
They are targeting species that are already considered at risk, and are actively threatening the future of others, said Solomons ecologist Patrick Pikacha.
“There’s no studies. No monitoring. It’s just every man for himself,” Pikacha told AFP.
Solomon Islands has stunning ecological diversity, and is teeming with vibrantly coloured parrots, tree-dwelling lizards, swooping mega bats and more.
But it is the only Pacific island that participates in the legal wildlife trade, and its most unusual species are increasingly popular pets.
One of the most coveted is the monkey-tailed skink, a striped native lizard that dangles from trees using a prehensile tail.
Designated near-threatened, trade in the reptile was suspended in 2001 under an international conservation treaty overseen by the United Nations.
But UN export figures show a thriving market.
More than 2,000 monkey-tailed skinks were sourced from Solomon Islands in the last eight years, according to the figures, including around 1,300 sent to the United States.
Online listings reviewed by AFP show a single juvenile specimen can sell for up to $1,500.
Last October, UN officials urged Solomon Islands to “address compliance challenges” within its live wildlife trade, including the continued export of monkey-tailed skinks.
“It has come to the attention of the secretariat that specimens… that are under trade suspension from Solomon Islands continue to appear… as being traded for commercial purposes,” a UN letter read.
Solomon Islands’ environment department did not respond to requests for comment.
But it has previously called “sustainable trade in wildlife” an “important source of income” for the developing nation.
In the capital Honiara, clouds of flies buzz around plastic bins of fish at the bustling seaside market.
A faded sign overhead warns against the live wildlife trade, singling out dolphins as a “no sell” species.
Foreign dealers set their sights on Solomon Islands in the early 2000s, paying coastal communities to capture live dolphins for theme parks overseas.
