WCT conducted an awareness session under its #TrappedInTrade campaign for the law students of KLE Society’s Law College, Bengaluru, on October 6, 2022. Students were introduced to the magnitude of the trade in exotic wild animals, the perils of keeping exotics as pets, existing legal frameworks for wildlife trade and the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021. The campaign aims to raise awareness about exotic live animals that are traded as pets.
During the session, students were introduced to the idea that animal lovers may keep exotic wildlife as pets with the best intentions, but end up causing significant harm to the individual and to biodiversity at large by doing so. The rising demand for exotic animals as pets is a major driver for the surge in the trade of exotic animals. This trade not only poses a threat to biodiversity, but also to national security as it often ties in with other organized smuggling crimes such as those in ammunition and narcotics. They were also made aware of the abject cruel treatment meted out to animals being transported in unhygienic conditions, and the risks of zoonotic disease outbreak as a result of the trade.
As the audience consisted of law students, they were also introduced to existing legal frameworks dealing with illegal wildlife trade, gaps in the law and the proposed amendments in the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021. Finally, students were reminded that they play an integral role in being a part of the solution by not purchasing wild animals as pets, and by engaging with others and shining the spotlight on the perils of the trade in wildlife.
For more information on the #TrappedInTrade campaign visit here.
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