The exotic pet trade in India has grown from a niche activity into a significant operating industry which now stands at a crucial intersection of legal commerce, illegal trafficking, and organised crime with ecological and ethical concerns, a new report has highlighted.
The 2020 Voluntary Disclosure Scheme revealed over 40,000 individuals across 30 states and union territories keeping exotic pets, according to the report, though this likely represents only a fraction of actual ownership. Valued at approximately US$ 42.6 million in 2024, industry estimates project the market to grow to US$ 75.8 million by 2030.
These estimates are considering a compound annual growth rate of 10.2 per cent.
The analysis also highlights critical gaps in India’s legal and regulatory framework governing the rapidly expanding exotic pet trade. It warns of serious risks to public health, native ecosystems and animal welfare, and offers a set of recommendations to address these concerns.
The document identified trade routes and how the industry has now become a threat to local and regional biodiversity.
Reptiles and birds dominate, including green iguanas, royal ball pythons, African grey parrots, and blue-and-gold macaws, alongside growing demand for mammals and invertebrates, the report said.
“Since the 1980s, birds, including conures and lorikeets, have been imported and bred within India, with some lineages continuing into current generations. Commercial trade in exotic reptiles intensified only in the past two decades, with 17 species legally imported between 1976 and 2018. In the last five years, a steep increase in seizures reflects a surge in illegal trade,” it stated.
It added that in 2022 alone, World Wild Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India) documented 56 seizures, involving approximately 4,000 exotic animals spanning a wide range of taxa.
The exotic pet market now is mixed with legal and illegal supply chains as animals are imported through authorised channels but smuggled across borders or bred domestically in both licensed and illegal facilities.
Worryingly, wild-caught individuals, captured from habitats worldwide, are incorporated to diversify stock or directly meet consumer demand, the report observed.
India has emerged as a big market. Tier I and Tier II cities have especially become hubs of trade. This market has grown with exotic pets widely seen as status symbols, generating demand from a diverse spectrum of buyers across age groups, ranging from first-time owners to seasoned collectors.
The assessment noted, “Commercial ventures such as petting zoos, aviaries, and exotic animal cafés are also rapidly gaining popularity in India as recreational venues where visitors, often families, can interact with wildlife. In some instances, animals are rented out for private events and parties, reinforcing their commodification as objects of entertainment.”
Identifying routes and trafficking hotspots, the report underlined that India’s geographic position, combined with its vast and porous borders, establishes it at the intersection of major international wildlife trafficking routes. Additionally, gaps in law enforcement in certain regions add to the problem.
Exotic wildlife native to Southeast Asia, Australasia, and Central and South America are trafficked into India. Seizures indicate two primary routes — overland through Northeast India’s borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar, and by air via major international airports.
Three airports stand out as major nodes: Chennai International Airport, Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, all receiving direct international flights from Thailand and Malaysia.
Apart from serving as ports of entry for smuggled consignments, they function as domestic redistribution hubs. Seizures from small international airports such as Kochi, Visakhapatnam, and Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) indicate the extent to which smuggling networks adapt to evade detection.
“Once in India, trafficked wildlife are transported by road or rail to urban centres including Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Kochi, besides Bengaluru, Chennai, and Mumbai. From there, these animals may be sold legally or illegally in various pet markets such as Crawford Market and Pallavaram market,” it said.
Online platforms and communication applications including social media further drive trends by showcasing exotic pets through posts and videos, creating a borderless digital marketplace that transcends geographic boundaries, the report explained.
Unregulated, exotic pet trade has wide-ranging implications that extend beyond commercial trade.
As more humans interact with exotic animals, the exposure to and transmission of zoonotic pathogens increases.
For instance, children come in contact with exotic birds and reptiles in petting zoos and aviaries and in events such as birthday parties and private events, with minimal oversight or health protocols, but may be unaware of the health risks.
Reptiles frequently carry Salmonella spp., which causes gastrointestinal illness in humans that can be particularly severe in children and immunocompromised individuals. Exotic birds may transmit avian influenza and Chlamydia psittaci, the causative agent of psittacosis (parrot fever), a respiratory infection that can progress from mild flu-like symptoms to severe pneumonia, it said.
“The lack of visible signs of illness in some species, combined with frequent physical contact and limited access to veterinary care, creates conditions conducive to transmission across households and communities. The absence of systematic disease surveillance of exotic pet populations also means potential zoonotic spread remains undetected until human transmission or outbreaks occur,” the report warned.
Further it threatens destabilising local ecosystems as alien species such as Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula), Goldfish (Carassius auratus), Three-spot Cichlid (Amphilophus trimaculatum), Loricariid Catfishes (Pterygoplichthys spp. and Hypostomus plecostomus), Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) and Green Iguana (Iguana iguana), become invasive.
Such released or escaped exotic pets can establish themselves as dominant populations in the wild, outpacing native species and destabilising ecosystems. India currently lacks a legally binding national framework to prevent and manage invasive animal species, the authors found.
Returning seized live exotic animals to their country of origin or natural habitat is often viewed as the most ethically sound option, but is complex and these animals often end up in confinement.
Zoos and rescue centres are overburdened and under-equipped to handle the growing number of seized exotic animals. Many facilities lack trained veterinarians, infrastructure and long-term care for non-native species, the report said.
In a press statement, Sumanth Bindumadhav, director, wildlife protection at Humane World for Animals India and co-author of the report, said, “Behind the exotic pet trade is a pipeline of extraction, stress, and risk. These animals are not suited for life in private homes and the consequences of treating them as such are far-reaching and often irreversible. What we’re seeing is a largely unregulated market that turns wild animals into commodities. The risks don’t stop with the animals. They extend to ecosystems, institutions and human health.”
The report calls for establishing a national regulatory framework for exotic pet ownership and enhancing oversight of digital marketplace sales of wildlife. Identifying the gaps in existing policies, it noted that India’s environmental, public health and wildlife laws, including the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, among others, provide a strong foundation for protecting native species. However, they are not adequately equipped to address the scale, complexity and evolving nature of exotic wildlife trade in the country. These laws are often fragmented and, in many respects, outdated.
Biologist Kritika Balaji said, “Recent amendments regulating CITES-listed species are a step-forward, but significant gaps remain. Even if species are captive-bred, the fundamental question remains. Should we keep inherently wild creatures as pets? And critically, are our systems and infrastructure prepared to manage the inherent health and ecological risks? With limited resources, it is pertinent that we prioritise coexisting with our native biodiversity in the wild, rather than the commodification of exotic animals.”
The analysis calls for a comprehensive and coordinated policy response to address the ecological, public health and regulatory challenges posed by the exotic pet trade in India based on science-driven risk assessments, including zoonotic risks, ecological impact and suitability for captivity.
Subhashree Sahoo, a PhD scholar at Wildlife Institute of India (WII), not part of the report said, “The lack of parity and consensus on terminology and policy among countries that are part of the exotic trade network lead to well-intentioned actions, mostly in silo. This often impedes enforcement and persecution beyond local middlemen.”
Sahoo added: “What we are also missing in terms of addressing the exotic pet trade (which is not entirely illegal) is the complacency due to lack of a defined narrative. For native and endemic animals, we still consider them as belonging to the wild. But as soon as something comes from outside, we bypass the ethics of draining from other native ecosystems.”
“In order to not be treated as trafficking, all purportedly legal trade in captive-bred animals should be backed by breeder licences that are globally standardised to best practices, unambiguous and fully traceable,” she added.