People with exotic pets such as macaws, cockatoos or a variety of soft-shell turtles will have to register them with the state wildlife department, according to the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024 issued by the Union environment ministry on February 28.

The species covered by these are those listed under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). “’Animal species’ means any living specimens of any animal species listed in Schedule IV appended to the Act” which covers species under the Convention,” the notification shared by ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) on Wednesday said.

These rules do not apply to other wildlife that is already protected under the Wildlife Protection Act and cannot be kept in captivity.

Section 49 M of the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2022 provides for registration of possession, transfer, reporting of birth and death of living scheduled animal species which are listed in the Appendices of CITES and listed in the Schedule IV of the Act and it is the rules regarding this that have been issued on February 28 and have already come into effect.

India is a party to the CITES, which requires that appropriate measures are taken to enforce the provisions of the Convention.“The newly inserted Section M of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 last year mandates that anyone possessing exotic wild animals listed under Schedule IV of the Act must obtain a registration certificate from the Management Authority to comply with CITES regulations. This registration requirement also applies to any transfer of the animals or birth of offspring from them, with the Rule prescribing the process for such registration. One significant challenge facing our ecosystems is the harmful impact of invasive alien species on native biodiversity due to accidental escapes. We hope that this Rule will aid in monitoring such accidental escapes by establishing accountability for both the owner and the Authority,” said Debadityo Sinha, lead, climate & ecosystems, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.“The opportunity created to launder illegal stocks of exotic CITES species vide the Voluntary Disclosure Scheme (VDS) in 2020 was brought to the attention of the Parliamentary Standing Committee which was looking into the amendments to the Wildlife Act. It was also submitted that the infiltration of exotic species poses a threat of zoonotic diseases due to lack of disease surveillance. The DRI also flagged this issue in Chapter IV of its report 2020-21 report titled – Smuggling in India. Strangely the Ministry of Environment, pushed ahead with the amendments and included the CITES Chapter in the Wildlife Act. As a result, we now have the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024 framed to permit registration of exotic species with various conditions specified. But with poor veterinary infrastructure and lack of trained officers in the Forest Departments, it would be naive to assume that the slew of conditions specified in the Rules and the consequent violations will actually be monitored on the ground. The ill-advised VDS then leading to the amendments, ignoring the suggestions of the Parliamentary Committee and now the Rules, have set the stage for legalising the hitherto illegal Pet Trade and establishment of “Rescue Centres” to the detriment of the country’s indigenous wildlife species,” said Praveen Bhargav, Trustee – Wildlife First, Former Member – National Board for Wildlife.

The Union ministry’s February 28 notification states that all persons possessing a living specimen of any of the listed animal species are required to apply for registrations of such possession within a period of six months from the date of commencement of these rules and thereafter within 30 of coming into possession of such animal species to the concerned State Chief WildLife Warden, through the PARIVESH 2.0 portal.

Further, any transfer of possession and birth of offsprings of such specimen(s) shall also be registered and death of such specimen(s) shall be reported, to the concerned Chief Wild Life Warden through the PARIVESH 2.0 portal in accordance with these Rules, the notification states.

HT reported on April 13 last year that those who breed exotic species protected under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and listed in Appendix 1 of schedule IV of Wildlife Protection Act 2022 can now obtain Breeders of Species Licence under the Breeders of Species Licence Rules, 2023 notified on April 24 by the union environment ministry.

Appendix 1 of schedule 4 of the Wildlife Protection Act 2022 has species of various bears and pandas such as the Red Panda, various species of dogs, wolves, cats, apes, chimpanzees, gibbons, lemurs, squirrels, armadillos, various birds including Hornbills, Macaws, Parakeets, Owls, various reptiles among others. Appendix 1 of schedule 4 are endangered exotic animals and plants and import rules are stricter for them.

The Wildlife Protection Act 2022 seeks better implementation of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It proposes to rationalise and amend the schedules that list out wildlife species to ensure better care of seized animals and disposal of seized wildlife parts and products according to MoEFCC.

Wildlife experts said these rules and notifications indirectly regularlise/normalise the illegal acquisition of exotic species before the Wildlife Protection Amendment Act 2022 came into force. Although the precise proportion of trafficked animals within the pet trade remains uncertain, the sheer volume of wild animals traded annually in both domestic and international markets is staggering. Many pet owners perceive themselves as animal lovers, enthusiasts, and collectors, often unaware of the consequences of their demand for such animals. There are other motivations for owning and illegally trading wild animals, says Wildlife Trust of India.

According to recent reports, more than 70,000 native and exotic species were trafficked via air . The Centre had introduced a one-time amnesty program through the MoEFCC. In turn, a total of 32,645 individuals voluntarily declared their possession of exotic and native species from June to December 2020. The disclosures are not public.