Creating awareness and sensitising people is key to tackling the problem of rising demand for exotic wild animals as pets and the brutal live animal trade. WCT conducted an awareness session under its #TrappedInTrade campaign for the law students of Christ University’s Law College, Bengaluru, on October 21st, 2022, in collaboration with the Environmental Law Committee at Christ University. During the session, Mridula Vijairagahvan, Environmental Lawyer with WCT, introduced the students to the magnitude of the trade in exotic wild animals within India, the perils of keeping wild animals as pets, existing legal frameworks for wildlife trade and the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021.
The rising demand for exotic animals as pets is a major driver for the surge in the trade of wild animals. This trade not only poses a threat to biodiversity, but also to national security as it often ties in with other organised smuggling crimes such as those in ammunition and narcotics. The students were also made aware of the abject cruel treatment meted out to animals being captured from the wild, transported, bred, and kept captive, and the risks of zoonotic disease outbreak as a result of the trade. The law students were also introduced to existing legal frameworks dealing with illegal wildlife trade including CITES, the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and amendments proposed to it .
This was followed by an interactive Q-and-A session that saw several questions regarding challenges in implementation of the law. 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.
