IWN Daily Digest — Saturday, 3 October 2026
More than 40,000 people across 30 states and union territories declared their non-native exotic pets under the Voluntary Disclosure Scheme, and experts now say the follow-up has been limited in a market worth about $42.6 million in 2024.
As reported by Mongabay India:
“Despite more than 40,000 people declaring non-native exotic pets under the Voluntary Disclosure Scheme, the experts point to limited follow-up action.” … “There are no mandatory post-import health standards, while biosecurity measures remain weak once animals leave ports.”
The story is the fourth in Mongabay India’s “From the Wild, For Trade” series, written by Arathi Menon. It leans on a 2026 report by Humane World for Animals, which cites market research putting the value of India’s exotic-pet market at about $42.6 million in 2024, with industry estimates projecting it to come close to double that by 2030.
The legal footing comes from a 2022 amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which created Schedule IV for species listed in the Appendices of CITES. Section 49M requires the registration of possession, transfer and birth of those animals, and the reporting of their deaths.
Shubhra Sotie, an environment lawyer and co-author of the Humane World for Animals report, said that trade in native wildlife is prohibited under the Act, while “the pet trade in exotic, non-native animals is legal but regulated.” She put the problem this way: “We have one too many laws but implementation is where we are lacking.”
Jose Louies, chief executive of Wildlife Trust of India, is among the people the article draws on, having watched India’s wildlife pet trade change dramatically over the last decade and a half.
Sources: Mongabay India
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