CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai, is fast becoming a major hub for exotic animal trade in the country. Experts say that this may lead to zoonotic disease spillover and the destruction of native fauna, should such animals enter Indian wildlife.
Chennai Wildlife Warden E Prasanth told The New Indian Express that close to 1,300 exotic animals were declared by individuals in Chennai after the Union Environment Ministry introduced the voluntary declaration scheme in 2020.
The ministry had said the database of import and possession of exotic live animals would help control and manage zoonotic diseases.
Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board member secretary Shekhar Kumar Niraj, who had served as regional deputy director (Western & Southern regions) for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, said: "Exotic animal trade always carries the potential risk of zoonotic disease spillover and invasive species entering wildlife. For instance, the red-eared slider turtle, a popular pet turtle endemic to the Americas, has quickly become invasive."
Niraj said he raised the issue of increasing exotic animal trade in the country with the Union environment ministry two years ago.
According to sources, over 8,000 applications had been filed by people from Tamil Nadu on Parivesh website seeking permission to import exotic animals. The State forest department, however, approved none owing to the risks involved.
Post coronavirus outbreak, there has been a lot of focus on zoonotic diseases. The trade in exotic species, which is done mostly through illegal imports, makes the threat more complex. Chennai is one of the major hubs of this trade, the volume of which has increased exponentially over the years.
This was seconded by the Smuggling in India Report 2019-2020 published by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which said: "There is an unfortunate and increasing trend in smuggling of endangered and exotic fauna from different parts of the world in India. Since there is a complete ban on trade in Indian species, interest of the smugglers has shifted to exotic species, which has led to disastrous global environmental consequences."
The report went on to say that major Indian cities like Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kochi receive exotic animals from Thailand, Malaysia, European countries, among others.
Meanwhile, based on the directions of the Commissioner of Animal Husbandry Department, a six-member team, led by the joint-director of the department in Kancheepuram, inspected Jungliee, a petting zoo, on ECR on Wednesday afternoon. The 'pet-shop-cum-indoor zoo' exhibits around 30 different exotic species, which are up for sale.