Revised Pet shop rules - http://moef.nic.in/downloads/
-------http://www.scribd.com/
Fish aquarium rules---------http://www.
Another - http://moef.nic.in/downloads/
Dog breeding rules - http://moef.nic.in/downloads/
We, the undersigned NGOs, Friendicose-SECA, Wildlife SOS, Citizens for the Welfare and Protection of Animals (regd.) and International Organization for the Protection of Animals (OIPA) and PFA, Haryana strongly condemn the commercial breeding of exotic and companion animals by private persons. There is no kindness in trafficking in wildlife and continuously breeding animals for the purpose of profit.
We are therefore surprised to know that some animal breeders and exotic animal traders have chosen fool the public by grouping under the banner of ‘Pet Lovers Association’ and calling themselves ‘animal lovers’ whose mission is to promote ‘compassion towards animals’ by breeding and selling animals.
TRADE IN EXOTIC SPECIES BY BREEDERS:
Breeders are creating a consumer market for endangered species by selling exotic species and this is against the spirit of international cooperation endorsed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) of which India is a member country. CITES is an international agreement between governments on trade in specimens of wild animals and plants. To implement it requires coordination between countries. India cannot demand cooperation from other countries to control trafficking in rhino horns and ivory products if some persons irresponsibly create a consumer market for the Brazilian macaw and North American snake varieties.
The situation is worsened by a complete absence of laws to protect and monitor imported exotic wildlife species imported by breeders. If released into local ecosystems by accident or design, such a biological invasion of non-native species (by predation, competition and spread of disease) can have a far reaching impact on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and development.
But trafficking in rare and exotic wildlife is big business in India! And it is being conducted in utter anarchy in a legal vacuum. Every year, hundreds of animals enter the exotic pet trade but no governmental authority will own the responsibility of tracking imported exotic animals and ascertaining whether they have been released into the local habitat.
WE BELIEVE THAT :
TRADE IN COMPANION ANIMALS BY BREEDERS:
There has been a proliferation of ‘backyard breeders’ in the NCT of Delhi of late. These persons do not care or know about genetics and bloodlines, do not properly screen potential buyers, raise the animals in poor conditions and practice irresponsible inbreeding as a result of which more and more cases of dogs with hip dyspepsia, epilepsy, respiratory ailments, kidney failure, umbilical hernias, heart murmurs, eye defects, hemophilia, problematic pregnancies, etc. are brought to veterinary clinics. These are a direct consequence of breeding brother to sister or parent to child.
We are appalled by the lack of responsibility taken by government officials in keeping a check on the inhumane conditions of commercial breeding kennels in Delhi. Such establishments are a disgrace to our community. While there are laws worldwide to check and control commercial breeding, there are no laws in current usage to keep a check on whether adequate care is being provided to animals bred for commerce by breeders and whether they are living in substandard living conditions in effort to increase profit.
WE THEREFORE DEMAND :
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED NGOs:
WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THE ADOPTION OF PETS FROM ANIMAL SHELTERS. COMPASSION IS NOT A TRADE. DOMESTICATED ANIMALS ARE COMPANIONS NOT A COMMODITY TO BE SOLD FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROFIT BY BREEDERS.
EXOTIC ANIMALS ARE BEST LEFT IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
While Gandhi says the police is dragging its feet on the case, officers of the force said they have “instructions” not to take action against the owner, curiously terming it as a “VIP case”.
Gandhi’s NGO People for Animals (PFA) had been alerted last month that ‘The Petshop’ — located in the basement of Greenview Apartments in New Mangalpuri — sold endangered Macaws, turtles and lizards. The PFA spoke to the police and accompanied a team on May 20 for the raid.
Gandhi said several species covered under the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) were found in the shop and were photographed. Subsequently, a joint report (in possession of Newsline) prepared by Wildlife Inspector R R Meena and Mehrauli police station Sub Inspector A K Singh detailed that five American red-eared sliders (turtles), corn snakes and candy canes (snakes) had been found on the shop’s shelves. The report mentions the owner as one Jayesh Mathur of Dwarka.
Three weeks later, when Newsline visited the raided establishment, it appeared to be business as usual. Present at that time in the shop was one Dhirendra Swarup, who flaunted a pair of blue and golden Macaws to this correspondent. “This pair is worth Rs 1.8 lakh,” Swarup said. However, other protected species such as the snakes and turtles — photographed during the raid — were missing from the shelves. Trade in foreign birds is restricted by the CITES.
But nothing happened after the raid. Maneka Gandhi said, “A few days ago, we got a call from a district forest officer who asked us to back off, saying this was a VIP case and that no action would be taken against the owner.”
On the other hand, senior officers who would not be named, said they were troubled over this “VIP petshop” but would say no more. Delhi Police’s spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said, “No animal was confiscated during the raid. We spoke to the wildlife inspector who said the animals found were not covered under the Wildlife Protection Act.”
Maneka Gandhi said the matter was then taken to the Wildlife Crime Branch in the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Gandhi said, “Its head M B Lall has said the Ministry is examining the case.” But when Newsline contacted Lall, he said, “I have no idea about this. This case comes under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Wildlife Department.”
Gandhi said when the PFA confronted the government to check if the owner had the necessary papers to do business in these animals, they were shown a “few baseless permits”. These papers include a letter from a firm in Singapore permitting the export of 12 turtles as personal pets flown in on March 9, 2005.
In the same bunch was another interesting letter (dated April 11, 2005) from the Animal Quarantine Service, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in Kapashera. This letter said the department had no objection to the import of “65 reptiles” from Singapore.
Gandhi said, “The permission to import from Singapore was for 12 turtles, but the Quarantine service in India okayed 65. On top of this, a permission from Singapore doesn’t entitle anyone to bring in animals without India’s permission.”