There’s still no law to stop the trading of pets in Chennai.
What’s it about? Chennai has an unregulated pet market that’s growing with exotic species like the spectacled caimen (a Brazillian crocodile) and ball pythons on the list. A report from customs officials says about 37-50% of the country’s pet trade goes through Chennai.
- Officials said they received 35,000 Parivesh applications last year, of which 9,000 were from Chennai. Animals from South East Asia are smuggled to the Gulf and beyond from Chennai.
- It has been happening for decades. It’s a combination of the local nexus of traders, middlemen, traffickers, and corrupt officials. Some of the biggest breeding centres are located in ECR.
Who said what? Shekar Niraj, a member of the state biodiversity board, said the culprits take advantage of exotic species not being included in the Wildlife Protection Act. Activist Anthony Bubin has petitioned the government to enact laws to protect exotic animals.
- Srinivas Reddy, the chief wildlife warden, said they’re talking to the government about this.