Chennai: Pet owners and traders in illegal possession of exotic pets such as macaws, parakeets, lemurs and certain types of primates should mandatorily register the animals with Union govt’s Parivesh 2.0 portal, forest department has announced.Owners who possess unregistered species should do so within six months whereas those acquiring such an animal must register them within a month.“More than 10 shops in Kolathur, George Town and Pallavaram were made aware of the existing norms on how to register, what to do if an animal is imported and what to do if it gives birth,” said a ranger.The drive comes weeks after actor Vikram’s reels with a Lar gibbon — an endangered primate falling under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) — went viral on social media. An animal will be classified as exotic species if it falls under schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, which includes species listed under CITES. Such animals require mandatory registration with the portal and a no-objection certificate from the chief wildlife warden for import. Pet owners were instructed to organise health check-ups for the animals with veterinarians every six months, prevent interbreeding of the animals with native wildlife and report to the authorities if it escapes or dies. Further, the transaction must be recorded if animals are sold or transferred to a different owner. Violation of rules can lead to legal action, depending on the nature of the offence and seizure of the animals, a ranger said.“We realised that not many pet owners are aware of these rules. Individually, rangers are taking efforts to spread awareness. Soon, the department will hold drives to raise awareness among pet shops and pet owners,” said wildlife warden Kulal Yogesh Vilas.
