NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified rules related to possessing and breeding of exotic wild animals in captivity. These rules are framed under Section 49M of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
India lacked such regulations to keep check on keeping and breeding of highly endangered exotic wild animals. The issue came to limelight across the globe when the pandemic broke out when it was assumed that the Covid-19 was a ‘zoonotic disease’ which got spillover from China’s Wuhan wet market.
Since then, several countries recognized the illegal wildlife trade, which could pose a serious risk to the human population. For instance, China banned illegal trade and consumption of wild animals; Vietnam temporarily banned imports of wildlife and wildlife products. Bolivia passed a resolution of prohibition on using wild animals for food and medicines.
As per rules, persons possessing a living specimen of exotic animals species are required to apply for registrations within a period of six months from the date of commencement of these rules. Further, within 30 days of possessing such animal species to the concerned State Chief Wild Life Warden, through the PARIVESH 2.0 portal.
In 2022, The Wild life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 has come into force since 1st April 2023. Section 49 M of the Act provides for registration of possession, transfer and birth and reporting of death of living scheduled animal species which are listed in the Appendices of CITES and as such listed in the Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. In April 2023, the government came up with legal framework notification.
The framework made it mandatory for exotic wild animal keepers to get a separate mandatory license to keep and breed exotic animals in captivity of Appendix I of Schedule IV, which is highly protected animal across the world.
After the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, India issued an advisory on June 11 2020, granting amnesty to individuals possessing exotic live species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), a multilateral treaty of 183 countries, ratified by India in 1976.
“The amnesty was granted to encourage individuals to disclose their possession of exotic animals to create a database of CITES-listed animals in India so that the government would monitor births, deaths, trade, or change of possession of the animals in the future,” says Debadityo Sinha, a wildlife laws expert.
Meanwhile, wildlife experts hail the decision of the government to provide the legal framework the country needed.
“This legal framework is like something better than nothing,” says a wildlife crime investigator Jose Louise. “This framework will prevent highly endangered exotic and protective animals in captivity and use it for an opportunity to trade it further.”