Goldfish in perfume bottle, protected species on sale—DU students' report on horrors of Delhi pet shops

The Print

14-05-2025

From Shahdara, Dwarka, and Khan Market to Janakpuri, Preet Vihar, Lajpat Nagar, Kamla Nagar, and Paharganj, the students surveyed pet shops selling a wide range of animals—fish, rabbits, iguanas, Persian cats, guinea pigs, birds, and dog breeds like beagles, golden retrievers, pomeranians, German shepherds, and labradors.
Released on 12 May, the report was compiled by 19 ALC students who visited shops across Delhi and found multiple violations of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
New Delhi: At least 34 pet shops across the national capital are operating without the proper licences and fail to provide even basic food, water, and shelter to the animals they sell, according to a new report by the Animal Law Cell (ALC) of Delhi University.
One shop was even found selling a star turtle, a species protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and banned for sale in India.
The ALC divided the city into eight zones and surveyed shops in each zone. In every area, they found animals kept in extremely cramped enclosures without access to clean drinking water. Many cages were covered in animal faeces and had not been cleaned in days.
In some of the most extreme instances, the students documented—with photographic evidence—how live animals were kept in cages alongside dead or sick ones.
Infected rabbits, fish, and mice had not been removed, exposing healthy animals to disease and increasing the risk of mass infections.
At least six of the shops visited were listed online as pet accessory or pet supply stores, but were openly selling live animals without possessing any of the licences or registration certificates required by law. According to the report, not a single shop surveyed had the necessary authorisations to operate as a pet shop or to sell animals.
Moreover, none of the shops had veterinary care provisions in place.
Most were found in violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2018, by selling animals that were too young—particularly puppies aged 40 to 45 days that had not even been weaned from their mothers. 'We researched very carefully before going out to visit the shops, and realised that the law is actually very thorough,' said Ankur Arora, a second-year law student and student convenor of the ALC. 'But visiting the shops made us realise how without implementation, this thoroughness is useless.'
The ALC is a student-run society at Delhi University, comprising students from across the Faculty of Law. Their survey has been submitted to both the Animal Husbandry Unit of the Delhi Government and the Delhi Animal Welfare Board, urging the authorities to initiate immediate action. The ALC has called for shutting down illegal shops, conducting mandatory monitoring and regular inspections, and ensuring annual reporting on each pet shop's animal inventory and sales records. The students have not yet received a response from the concerned authorities regarding action against these shops.
ThePrint has reached the Delhi Government's Animal Husbandry Department for comment. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Many of the shops also failed to maintain even basic records of animals bought, sold, or those that may have died in their enclosures—amounting to serious regulatory and ethical violations. According to the students, most of the conditions observed bordered on cruelty.
One shop in Central Delhi had housed all its animals outdoors under the scorching Sun, without any shade or water, the report said. While shops like these also lacked any veterinary support, the animals were still being sold without any vet-issued certification.
The students told ThePrint that some shops were also selling animals illegally over WhatsApp. The team conducted a sting operation by pretending to be customers, during which the shopkeepers offered to sell animals—including underage puppies—via WhatsApp.
The students have screenshots of these chats as proof.
'We at some level wanted people to be aware of the law, and realise that while they may buy pets for their happiness, the process by which the pets come to them is filled with cruelty,' said Arora. 'If they are still buying animals like this, they are adding to the cruelty.'
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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