
New Delhi: Registration of exotic pets in Delhi was made mandatory last year. However, the forest department has received only 35 applications so far. While the deadline to submit the applications was Aug 31 last year, officials have now urged people to apply for registrations within 30 days of the new acquisitions.
Forest officials said that the species registered so far included macaws, sun and blue conures, love birds, African grey, cockatoos, iguanas, red-eared sliders, diamond doves, budgerigars, monk parakeets, corn snakes, and black-throated monitors.
In 2024, the Delhi forest department asked residents to get exotic pets registered with them. The new Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024 was notified on Feb 28 last year and required people in possession of a pet, which is listed under Schedule 4 of The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, to register it. The amended act had provisions for the registration of possession, transfer, and birth, and reporting of the death of living scheduled animal species, which are listed in the Appendices of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and as such listed in Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
“The registration is done online on the Union environment ministry’s portal Parivesh 2.0, while a demand draft of Rs 1,000 is sent to the state forest department. After all the formalities are completed, the registration request is processed,” an official at the forest department said.
As per norms, it is also necessary for the owners to report the death of exotic pets and to conduct a health examination of the species once every six weeks.