Tamil Nadu's Exotic Animal Registration Backlog and Facility Gaps Threaten Wildlife Regulation

Chennai: A high volume of applications seeking registration of exotic animals is pending before the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, while the State faces a shortage of dedicated facilities to house exotic wildlife when it is seized. This dual challenge is hampering effective regulation of the exotic animal trade and enforcement action, according to officials and conservationists.

Sources said around 2,000 applications are pending before the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW), the final authority in the State's approval process. The number of applications pending at the district level is understood to be higher, as applications are first scrutinised by district authorities before being forwarded to the CWLW.

A senior Forest Department official confirmed there was a high volume of applications and said the backlog was partly linked to the transition from the earlier PARIVESH 1.0 portal to PARIVESH 2.0. When the new portal was introduced, several applicants had already filed their applications on PARIVESH 1.0, and it remains unclear whether these applications will be migrated to the new platform or whether applicants will have to reapply, the official said. The official also pointed out that demand for exotic wildlife was high, indicating that the portal transition was not the only reason for the volume.

The volume of applications has implications for the department's ability to scrutinise documents and conduct physical verification of animals and facilities. Under the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, possession of animals covered under Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act has to be reported and registered. The process involves scrutiny of the application, an inquiry and physical verification of the facility before a registration certificate is issued.

Rakesh Kumar Dogra, CWLW, said the scrutiny and approval of applications was a long and complex process, involving verification of the information with the Forest Departments of other States, particularly in the case of species listed in the CITES Appendices. The applications were being processed as per the prescribed norms.

Another challenge is the lack of infrastructure to house exotic animals after they are seized, say activists. Tamil Nadu does not have dedicated facilities to quarantine and accommodate exotic wildlife taken into custody by enforcement agencies.

This has emerged as a concern in the ongoing investigation in Erode involving exotic animals, days after a video of actor Vikram playing with a Lar Gibbon at the residence of Chennai businessman C.K. Ranganathan was widely shared. Officials are also considering where the animals could be housed if they are confiscated.

Unlike native wildlife, seized exotic animals cannot simply be released into their natural habitat. They need secure facilities where they can be quarantined and housed while their provenance, ownership and legal status are established, said animal welfare activist and conservationist Shravan Krishnan.

Conservationists said the lack of holding facilities, coupled with the volume of applications awaiting processing, could hamper the effective regulation of the trade and possession of exotic wildlife and the enforcement action that follows when violations are detected.