(IN): Illegal pet trade thrives

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Illegal-pet-trade-thrives-/articleshow/\

4691680.cms

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*Illegal pet trade thrives *

 

23 Jun 2009, 1317 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: They may not abound in numbers but exist they do in many cities,

doing good business with local as well as foreign clientele, most of

it illegally.

 

 

Waking up to this menace of pet shops operating illegally, Wildlife Crime

Control Bureau (WCCB) has now asked the state governments to chalk out a

policy to register dealers engaged in pet trade, selling domestic birds and

animals<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Illegal-pet-trade-thrives-/arti\

cleshow/4691680.cms#>across

the country.

 

" We have asked the chief wildlife wardens of all the states and civic

agencies to regulate the dealers involved in the business of selling

domestic animals and birds, " says Ramesh Pandey, a senior official with

WCCB.

 

He knows better. Just a few months ago, the Bureau had unearthed an illegal

pet trade racket and seized four live Indian Tent turtles from Gurgaon and

arrested a person in this connection.

 

The accused, Rittin Mehrotra, a resident of Dhankot in Gurgaon, was

allegedly running his pet business for many years. The WCCB officials came

to know that some of his pets allegedly included exotic and endangered

species which are protected under Indian law.

 

Indian Tent turtle are listed in the schedule one of the Wildlife Protection

Act 1972. Being small and having very beautiful shells, they are traded as

pets in the country as well as in the international market.

 

Besides, turtles, the enforcement official said much of the pet trade is

dominated by reptiles and exotic birds and an increasing trend exists to

meet the demand of specialist collectors for some of the world's rarest

species.

 

In the garb of selling muniyas which are allowed for trade under law, the

dealers are making the protected species such as Straw-headed Bulbul

Pycnonotus zeylanicus, Palm Cockatoo Probosciger atterrimus, tortoises and

freshwater turtles (Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans, and the

Pignosed Turtle Carretochelys insculpta),

snakes<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Illegal-pet-trade-thrives-/artic\

leshow/4691680.cms#>or

lizards, available to customers at exorbitant prices.

 

The global demand is huge and hence trade is flourishing, threatening the

renowned biodiversity hotspots in South-east Asia - as well as rising demand

from countries within South-east Asia for endemic species from Africa, South

America and Australasia.

 

A report by Traffic International, the

wildlife<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Illegal-pet-trade-thrives-/art\

icleshow/4691680.cms#>trade

monitoring network, dwells in detail how freshwater turtles and

tortoises in Southeast Asia is fuelling rampant illegal trade in the pet

markets of Indonesia.

 

Terming the trend as a serious threat to the wildlife, Sameer Sinha from

Traffic India said, " The pet trade is mostly in unorganised sector with no

guidelines and regulations.

 

Since wildlife trade is not allowed under Wildlife Protection Act, the civic

agencies can register the pet dealers under Shops and Eastablishment Act to

ensure a comprehensive policy. WCCB move is welcome in this direction. "

 

All the enforcement agencies should have the list of such dealers so that

their activities are under scanner and can also also act as a deterrent, he

added.

 

Ashok Kumar, Vice-Chairman of Wildlife Trust of India added, " in the garb of

pet trade, several threatened and endemic species are being smuggled outside

and in the country.

 

Various districts of Uttar Pradesh have become the hub of dealers engaged in

sale and purchase of birds and turtles while authorities such as railways

and police are just sleeping over the matter, Kumar added.

 

" It's time we understood and recognised that all wildlife are protected

species and buying them and keeping them without permission is illegal.

Anybody who spots a turtle in a shop must immediately report this.

 

Thousands of Starred Tortoises are smuggled out of India to be kept as pets.

Their shells are also used to make ashtrays and trays, " Kartick

Satyanarayan, member, advisory board, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, said.

 

 

 

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