Kerala seeks more time for registering exotic pets

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Fearing that pet keepers may abandon or kill unregistered exotic pets, the State government has sought an extension of time for their registration.

The deadline fixed by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for registering pets under the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, expired in August this year. The rules cover exotic animals listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and kept as pets.

There is a huge demand in the state for exotic birds like Conour, Macaw, and Cockatoos and reptiles, namely Iguanas and African Ball Pythons.

The Rules mandate that the exotic pets being kept and bred have to be registered within six months from February 28 this year, the date on which the rules were published. All the live animals listed in Appendix I, II and III of CITES and included in Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act (WPA), 2022 are covered under the Rules. The violation of the rules would invite punishments under the WPA.

The registration campaign didn’t evoke much response in the State and only 650 applications were received, said State Forest officials.

A recent meeting of the State Board for Wildlife, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has resolved to approach the National Board for Wildlife seeking six more months for registration, said a State Board member.

The decision to seek an extension of time was taken fearing that the pet keepers may either abandon or kill the unregistered pets to escape legal action. Abandoned pets may breed in the State posing serious environmental and biological hazards. The red-eared slider, an exotic species, has now established itself in the State, pointed out a Forest official.

A section of pet enthusiasts argued that the possibility of exotic birds and animals, which are bred in captivity, establishing themselves in the wild was rare and they may fall easy prey to their predators. However, a few birders have recorded the presence of exotic birds in the wild.

There have been several records on the presence of exotic birds in the State, which were spotted during birding activities, said P. O. Nameer, State coordinator of the Asian Waterbird Census in India.