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Hindustan Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
2 years of Delhi's animal welfare board, but nothing to show for it
Formed in April 2023 with the promise of transforming animal welfare in the national capital, the Delhi State Animal Welfare Board (DAWB) has been a little more than a paper tiger. More than two years on, the board has failed to register even a single pet shop or dog breeder — one of its primary mandates — even as complaints against unregulated operators continue to pile up. Announced by then environment minister Gopal Rai, the 27-member board is chaired by the minister of animal husbandry and includes MLAs, municipal officials, veterinary experts, and gaushala (cow shelter) representatives. After two initial meetings in April and July last year, the board met only once again — in September 2024, and even that meeting was held following directions from the Delhi high court. 'After the initial two meetings, the September meeting was again held only because the high court stepped in. Then meeting was scheduled in October, which never took place,' said Asher Jesudoss, an animal welfare activist whose 2022 plea in court led to DAWB's formation. Jesudoss, who was later appointed to the board, said DAWB has been rendered toothless by the 'apathy and lethargy' of officials. 'There isn't even a helpline number or email address for citizens to contact the board.' The Pet Shop Rules, 2018, require all shops in the city selling animals to register with the state board, which must inspect the living conditions of animals and maintain sale-purchase records. The Dog Breeding Rules, 2017, similarly mandate registration of breeders and at least one inspection per year. Yet, no such registration has taken place. Between April 6 and April 9, a team of 18 law students from the Animal Law Cell (ALC) at Delhi University's Faculty of Law visited 34 pet shops across the city. They found a disturbing range of violations which included unweaned puppies being sold, goldfish crammed into glass bottles, the illegal sale of exotic star tortoises, and cramped, unsanitary cages housing both sick and healthy animals together. On May 12, they listed their findings in a report which was then submitted to the Delhi government. On yet another front, the courts have repeatedly pulled up the government for its failure to act. In November 2024,DAWB issued a public notice mandating that all pet shops and dog breeders register within a month. That deadline passed without a single application. Then in December, the Delhi high court gave the board three months to complete the process and questioned the claim that there were no dog breeders in the city. A bench of then acting chief justice Vibhu Bakhru and justice Tushar Rao Gedela said it was 'surprising' that no breeders had come forward, and asked the government to file an affidavit clarifying its stance. The government's submission, dated April 29, stated that the registration drive was 'still in progress.' Over 100 pet shops had been inspected following complaints, and show-cause notices were issued to 56 of them. But yet again, it stated that not a single formal registration has taken place. While conservative estimates by animal welfare activists believe there are between 300-500 pet shops in the Capital, this number does not include dog breeders, who often function from private premises. The animal husbandry department maintains no database of either of these establishments or breeders. Pet shops can easily be opened after a registration with DAWB, followed by a license from the municipal body. Activists allege that the first step is hardly followed, and civic bodies, despite rules clearly stating to give permission only after DAWB's registration, give a regular commercial licence to such shops. 'We haven't received any fresh applications yet, but we are inspecting shops and taking action against violators,' said Satyavir Singh, director of the animal husbandry department and ex-officio member secretary of DAWB. He added that the board had not met this year because it was awaiting reconstitution of nominated members following the change in government in February. 'Some members may be replaced, which is why we have not scheduled a meeting,' he said. Activists, however, say the board has failed in both intent and execution. 'For the last 10 years, despite repeated court directions, the Delhi government has resisted forming a functional animal welfare board,' said Gauri Maulekhi, trustee at People for Animals (PFA). 'Officers are lethargic, meetings are rare, and no decisions are taken. Even basic awareness campaigns have not been launched.' The board was also tasked with improving the conditions of 77 government veterinary hospitals — a longstanding issue that prompted yet another plea in the high court in 2022. Little has changed. 'Nodal hospitals like the one in Masoodpur lack even syringes and gloves. Mobile veterinary units sanctioned by the Centre have been lying unused for more than three years. The national animal helpline number — 1962 — still doesn't exist in Delhi,' said Jesudoss. 'This lack of support actively discourages responsible pet care and adoption in the city.' For now, DAWB remains a board in name alone — in a state of limbo between legal nudges, bureaucratic inertia, and a promise of reform that remains heartbreakingly unfulfilled.
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Indian Express
Sale of unweaned puppies, goldfish stuffed into bottles: report on pet shops in Delhi highlights neglect, illegal sales
Puppies sold before they were weaned, goldfish stuffed into perfume bottles, illicit sale of exotic star tortoises, sick animals caged with healthy ones without clean water or veterinary access, and missing licenses – a detailed report by the Animal Law Cell (ALC) under the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, has highlighted recurring patterns of violations in pet shops across Delhi. Eighteen students of the ALC undertook field visits to 34 pet shops across eight zones of Delhi, including Shahdara, Central Delhi, Rohini, Janakpuri, Uttam Nagar, Malviya Nagar, Khan Market, and Burari between April 6 and 9 this year. The survey, supervised by faculty members of the Law Centre and the Dean of the Faculty of Law, was designed to evaluate compliance with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2018. 'We encountered deplorable housing conditions, lack of basic necessities such as feed and water being provided to animals that blatantly violate the PCA Act and the Pet Shop Rules. The Pet Shop Rules have been enacted to ensure the well-being of animals kept and traded in pet shops, yet most establishments continue to flout them with impunity,' the team wrote in a letter to Anil Kumar Singh, commissioner (development), Delhi Government, and Dr Satyavir Singh, director of the Delhi Animal Welfare Board's animal husbandry unit, on Monday. The ALC, in its letter, called for 'conducting inspections, issuing closure notices, sealing unregistered pet shops and seizing the animals housed and displayed for sale within these establishments', besides comprehensive inspection of pet shops at least once a year, continuous monitoring to prevent illegal sale of wildlife, and ensuring accountability in operations by emphasising the maintenance of records in registered shops. As per the report, none of the 34 shops visited had a valid or visibly displayed Certificate of Registration, a basic legal requirement under Rule 3(2) of the Pet Shop Rules, 2018. Many shops had no permanent structures and operated from temporary stalls, street corners, or cluttered interiors filled with stacked cages and tanks, as per the report. It also found issues with waste disposal. 'Most of the shops are in violation of Rule 7, sub-rule(2) of the Pet Shop Rules, as they fail to provide sufficient dietary requirements, lack access to clean drinking water and proper feeding vessels, do not remove food waste, animal excreta, and organic waste on a daily basis, and house animals inimical to each other in the same enclosures,' it said. Many shops claimed to only sell pet accessories, but were in fact supplying animals illegally through personal messaging apps and informal breeder networks. The violations ranged from unweaned puppies—some as young as 40 days—being openly offered for sale, to exotic birds and reptiles caged in unclean, overcrowded enclosures, with no provision for veterinary care or species-specific needs, the report pointed out. In several instances, rabbits were kept in metal cages exposed to the harsh sun, birds were seen panting in wire enclosures without shade, and mice were kept in stacked cages without food or water. In other shops, dead fish floated in algae-choked tanks while iguanas, parakeets and turtles were displayed alongside household pets in breach of wildlife protection laws. The report also carries photographic evidence, shop-wise documentation, and GPS-tagged data. The report highlighted several recurring violations across the surveyed establishments. No shop had veterinary emergency contact information displayed or maintained written health certification records for animals, as required. In many cases, predator and prey species—such as mice, birds, and cats—were housed in adjoining enclosures, causing acute stress. Staffing standards were equally poor, the report indicated, with several shops operated solely by owners or minors without any trained personnel, despite rules mandating experienced staff for each type of pet animal. A lack of ventilation, shade, or temperature control in many shops exposed animals to extreme heat, in contravention of rules to protect different species. As per the report, 'Although a legal framework exists under the PCA Act and the Pet Shop Rules to regulate pet shops and ensure minimum welfare standards, our findings indicate that there remain significant implementation gaps on the ground. These gaps have allowed a number of establishments to operate without accountability, often at the expense of animal welfare.' It added: 'In many cases, pet shops were unaware of or uninformed about the applicable legal requirements, further highlighting the need for robust awareness, outreach, and enforcement mechanisms. Visibly distressed and unhealthy animals were observed in these pet shops, subjected to inclement weather/sun, unhygienic housing conditions, contaminated food and water.' The report also found a 'large' and 'rapidly expanding' online pet trade that is unregulated and held through social media pages and websites operating within Delhi. It noted that these shops are 'engaging in the sale and purchase of pets without the requisite registration or adherence to prescribed rules. This unchecked activity not only raises serious concerns regarding animal welfare but also poses significant risks to public health and consumer safety.'
The Print
14-05-2025
- The Print
Goldfish in perfume bottle, protected species on sale—DU students' report on horrors of Delhi pet shops
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) Also Read: Search for an Indian Carl Sagan is on. Science influencers are being trained in labs and likes
