The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is taking steps to close down private aviaries and petting zoos that show exotic animals to the public. They are asking the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for clear rules about the permits needed to display these animals. Until recently, people in Tamil Nadu have been showing exotic animals with licenses from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and saying they have the animals on the PARIVESH website of the Environment Ministry. But these licenses and statements are not for showing animals to the public, they are usually just for keeping pets like cats and dogs.
Exotic animals include species listed in Appendices I, II, and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and those in Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Srinivas R. Reddy, the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State, wants the Ministry to explain exactly which permits private collectors need to show exotic animals to the public. The Forest Department can give a breeder’s license for breeding exotic animals, but they haven’t given any of these licenses yet.
To make sure everyone follows the rules, the Forest Department told local Forest Officers to make sure aviaries and petting zoos with CITES-listed animals don’t show them to the public. They’re doing the same thing in the Nilgiris area, where they’re checking if owners of exotic bird parks have the right permits to show CITES-listed animals.
People who want to protect nature like these actions. They think that selling and trading exotic birds and animals has hurt native animals because of illegal trading. By closing these aviaries, they want to stop people from wanting exotic animals, which could help save endangered animals like special kinds of birds, reptiles, and mammals that live in the wild.
So, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is trying hard to stop people from showing exotic animals in private places and wants to help save these animals in the wild.
