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The San Jose Mercury News reports that "America's zoos have a little secret: They breed animals with no intention of keeping them. Every year, animals once admired at dozens of the country's major zoos are sold or given away to dealers, contributing to a multibillion-dollar-a-year exotic species marketplace where they can be resold, auctioned off to the highest bidder or advertised to the public in specialty magazines. Some of these surplus zoo animals include threatened or endangered species that end up as backyard pets, at a growing number of unaccredited roadside zoos or in the private collections of celebrities."