India’s growing trade in exotic pets, driven by demand for non-native species, is exposing significant gaps in the country’s legal and regulatory framework, posing risks to public health, biodiversity and animal welfare, according to a new report by Humane World for Animals India in collaboration with wildlife trade researcher Kritika Balaji.
The study report, ‘Safeguarding Biodiversity and Public Health: A Policy Analysis of Exotic Pet Trade in India,’ says the demand for non-native wildlife as pets has increased steadily over the past decade, riding on their perceived social status value, rising urban affluence and rapid expansion of online marketplaces.
While recent amendments to the Wildlife (Protection) Act have strengthened oversight of species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the study says India’s regulatory framework remains fragmented and is ill-equipped to deal with the scale and complexity of the exotic pet trade.
The report estimates the Indian exotic pet market at USD 42.6 million (₹405 crore) in 2024, with projections suggesting it could reach USD 75.8 million (₹720 crore) by 2030, growing at an annual rate of 10.2 per cent. Species commonly traded include green iguanas, sulcata tortoises, ball pythons, African grey parrots, blue-and-gold macaws, sugar gliders and pygmy marmosets.
According to the report, the trade now operates through a mix of legal imports, illegal smuggling and domestic breeding facilities. India has also emerged as both a destination market and a transit hub for exotic wildlife trafficking. Animals are smuggled through land borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh and through airports, before being redistributed to major cities or sold through pet markets, online platforms and encrypted messaging applications.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s Voluntary Disclosure Scheme introduced in 2020 offers an indication of the scale of exotic pet ownership. By February 2021, more than 40,000 individuals across 30 states and union territories had declared possession of exotic animals. The study highlights public health as one of the most pressing concerns. It says many species commonly sold as pets, including reptiles, birds and non-human primates, are known carriers of pathogens such as Salmonella, Chlamydia psittaci, herpesviruses and avian influenza viruses. Citing global estimates, the report notes that around 75 pc of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, while hundreds of thousands of viruses circulating among mammals and birds could potentially infect humans.
According to the authors, the capture, transport and sale of live wildlife create conditions that facilitate disease transmission. Animals often pass through multiple countries under stressful and unhygienic conditions before reaching buyers, while India lacks a comprehensive post-import disease surveillance system for exotic species. The report also warns against the growing trade in venomous reptiles. Recent seizures of Indonesian pit vipers and spider-tailed horned vipers, for which no suitable antivenom exists in India, highlight the risks faced by owners, enforcement agencies and emergency responders.
Beyond public health, the study says escaped or abandoned exotic pets pose an increasing threat to native ecosystems. Species such as the red-eared slider turtle, green iguana, alligator gar and suckermouth catfish have already established populations in parts of India, where they compete
with native species and alter aquatic ecosystems. The report argues that India lacks a comprehensive national framework to prevent and manage invasive alien animal species.
It also points to the growing burden on zoos and rescue centres responsible for housing confiscated animals. Unlike native wildlife, seized exotic species often cannot be released into the wild and require specialised long-term care.
Mizoram’s experience illustrates the challenge, the report says. Between February 2021 and September 2022, authorities in Champhai district alone seized 582 animals belonging to 25 species. During the same period, Aizawl Zoological Park received 910 exotic animals, but only 274 survived until December 2022, with many deaths attributed to stress, unsuitable climatic conditions and inadequate infrastructure.
The report notes that many zoos lack trained veterinarians, biologists and specialised facilities to care for non-native species. It also identifies serious welfare concerns throughout the trade chain. Animals are frequently captured using cruel methods, transported in cramped conditions with little food or water, and later confined in environments that fail to meet their biological and behavioural needs. Many owners underestimate the specialised care these species require, often resulting in chronic stress, disease, abandonment or premature death.
While acknowledging recent reforms regulating CITES-listed species, the report says significant gaps remain for non-CITES species, which continue to be traded with limited oversight. It also identifies shortcomings in monitoring online wildlife trade, post-import health surveillance, veterinary capacity and coordination between wildlife, public health and enforcement agencies.
