Loopholes in the Wildlife Protection Act and the lack of separate law for exotic animals is causing animal trading to flourish, leading to the exploitation of animals.
Riya Gandhi and Jaisal Kaur
Chennai
Chennai is a major hub for the exotic animal trade from various south-east Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, etc. The traders exploit the loopholes in the Wildlife Protection Act and the lack of separate laws for exotic animals. Various pet shops, and pet markets are selling exotic animals openly, and a petting zoo named Jungli is showcasing exotic animals, all this is leading to animal cruelty and exploitation.
A study conducted by TRAFFIC, a global animal NGO, has revealed that Chennai Airport accounted for 36 per cent of all wildlife seizures in India between 2011-2020. The USAID report in 2020 also regarded Chennai as a key destination and origin hub for animal trafficking in Asia. However, only 10 per cent of cases are apprehended. Also, the highest number of exotic animals was declared by Chennai-based people on the Parivesh website of the government. Last year alone, Chennai witnessed eleven instances of trafficking of exotic animals including albino porcupines, tamarin, gliders, De Brazza’s monkeys, kingsnakes, ball pythons and Aldabra tortoises.
Chennai is a preferred hub for animal trade as it is geographically nearer to many Southeast Asian countries and has numerous flights to these countries. Also, Chennai acts as a transit hub to various states in India and gulf countries. The trafficked animals have huge demands among rich people across India to own exotic birds and animals for bungalows. However, the trafficking seriously endangers the lives of the animals.
Animal activist, Anthony Rubin said, “Animal trade is a huge market in India, especially in Chennai. Animals are given anaesthesia, a few hours before the flight and are stuffed in toys. Many of them escape the airport security as the security staff are not equipped to deal with them regularly.” He added that this extremely harms the animals by causing dehydration and suffocation among other things, which can even lead to death.
Rubin further explained that the exotic animals business is lucrative.“ The animals are bought at very cheap rates from seafood markets in Bangkok, Vietnam, Indonesia, and so on and are sold in India from Rs 5 lakhs to 10 lakhs. Hence, traders reap huge profits, so they engage in this risky job. ”
Moreover, the trafficked animals are sold by various pet shops and pet markets in Chennai. A few pet shops in Adyar, Velachery, ECR and Pallavaram agreed to provide various exotic birds and animals, upon asking, despite many of them not being registered under the animal welfare board.
A pet shop in Vellachary named Tamed Pets sells exotic species like Hyacinth Macaws, cockatiels, African macaws, white rabbits and so on. They sell fully tamed animals, who are kept in cages. A customer is allowed to handle and pet them, which leads to exploitation. Also, the owner said that the exotic birds range from Rs 50,000 – 1 lakh, and they have contacts with people who import them and then these shopkeepers breed them in their homes.
Another pet shop in Adyar also sells exotic birds after purchasing them from various pet markets like Broadway and Pallavaram at cheaper rates. The owner said that the police are fully aware of this, and they earn commissions to facilitate it. He added that there are farms in ECR where these animals are bred, and supplied.
Following this, we visited the Kozhi market in Broadway on Sunday, which was cramped with sellers lined on road with diverse birds and animals. Besides locally available chicks, roosters, pigeons, ducks and dogs, exotic birds and animals such as cockatiels, African macaws, finches, parakeets, and rabbits are also available.
The situation of the pets was very pathetic as they are stuffed in bags, baskets, wire cages, and boxes and are aggressively handled by people, thus amounting to cruelty. While exotic pets like African Macaws are highly priced at Rs 20,000, the locally produced ones are sold from 1000 to 500. These sellers have connections with traders, from whom they buy in cheaper rates. The police constables are present in the market and are still not taking any action to curb illegal trade.
“The Broadway market is illegal as it is not registered under the Animal Welfare Board of India. It is punishable under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. However, the lack of a law on the pet trade motivates the traders to continue it,” said Vinod Kumar, manager of Blue Cross India. He added that in past years they have received tips from sources about illegal exotic animal trade from and to the city. Their volunteers have helped policemen in raiding some farmhouses near Pondicherry, where exotic animals like tortoises, snakes, and birds were owned by some people. However, they were rescued but no serious action was taken against the violators, he added.
Apart from this, there is also an exotic petting zoo in ECR, Junglii, which showcases 30 kinds of exotic animals and birds. After paying Rs 399 for 30 minutes, and Rs 9,999 for access to all the animals for one hour, the visitors including kids get to pet and touch animals including hedgehogs, pythons, Agogan rabbits, Blue-throated conure among a plethora of others. The animals were cramped in small places and looked stressed, and were being mishandled by visitors. Rubin, who had filed a complaint against Junglii in 2022, said that it breached the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001; and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. However, no action was taken after the complaint.
The Manager of the petting zoo, Vijay said, “We breed the imported animals in India only. We have taken permission and haven’t breached any laws. The Performing Animals (Registration) Rules don’t apply to us as we are not charging entry fee from visitors, there is only a consultation fee.” He added that their staff are fully trained in handling the animals, and the visitors are supervised by a staff who ensures there is no mishandling.
Thus, the thriving exotic animal trade in Chennai is due to loopholes in the Wildlife Protection Act, and the lack of separate laws for exotic animals. A lawyer specialising in animal rights, Vinay Dutta said, “Many exotic animals are not listed and banned for trade under India’s Wildlife Protection Act or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Because of a lack of separate law, this is not a cognisable offence, and hence even if the traders are caught by Custom Officials they can’t be arrested.
He added that only a few violators are charged with violation of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) rules. Also, arrests can only happen under the Customs Act, only if the value of ceased goods is more than Rs 50 lakh, however, it is tough to calculate for exotic species.“The checking process at the airport is so well-equipped and elaborate, that it is hard to believe that these animals escape from officials. The conviction rate is so low for animal traffickers, hence, we can assume that someone from the customs or security is involved to facilitate it,” added Dutta.
After much investigation, we have found that Chennai is a major hotspot and transit hub for animal trafficking in India. Also, the exotic animal trade is quite rampant in pet shops and markets in Chennai. All this is leading to exploitation and cruelty towards animals. However, the authorities ignore the problem and have taken no stringent action to curb it. Hence, an entire nexus of traders, sellers, policemen, customs officials and government officials are working to keep the business going.
Thus, there is a need of formulating a separate law for exotic animals and make animal trafficking a cognizable offence and enforce strict punishments. Also, the scope of the Wildlife Protection Act should be expanded to cover exotic animals. The customs and aviation staff need to be trained and sensitized in dealing with exotic animals. And, the illegal pet markets and pet shops trading in exotic animals need to be regulated under the Act, and the violators should also be punished. Pet zoos like Jung
