All privately-run aviaries and petting zoos in Tamil Nadu face closure by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, which has sought clarity from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) as to what permits are valid for the display of animals to the public.
Private collectors of exotic animals have, till recently, exhibited animals through a license obtained from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and by voluntarily declaring possession of the animals through the PARIVESH portal of the Environment Ministry. These declarations however, do not allow for the exhibition of wildlife to the public, while the AWBI licenses are only for pets like cats and dogs, officials said.
Exotic animals are those listed under the appendices I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and included in Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
