Nature & Wildlife

Illegal Pets in Chennai: Parakeets, Star Tortoises and the Law

Indian parakeets, star tortoises and monkeys cannot be kept as pets. What the Wildlife Act says, recent Chennai cases, exotic pet rules and how to hand one over.

25 October 2026

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Keeping an Indian parakeet, star tortoise, native snake or monkey at home is illegal without permission, because native wild animals are protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. In March 2023 the Forest Department seized two parakeets in Chennai and recovered a Rs 10,000 fine from the owner, PETA India reported, citing the department’s action under Sections 39 and 51 of the Act.

Many families do not realise this, because parakeets and tortoises are still sold quietly in some markets and on social media. This guide covers what you cannot keep, what you can, how the law treats exotic pets, and what to do if you already have a native animal at home.

The basic rule

Under the Act, wild animals of listed species belong to the government. Catching, buying, selling or keeping them needs permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden, and ordinary households do not get it. Section 39 makes them government property, and Section 51 sets the penalties. The Madras High Court put it plainly in November 2024 when it refused to hand a paralysed infant monkey to the Coimbatore vet who had nursed it, describing the animal as government property, DT Next reported.

Rose-ringed parakeets are in Schedule II of the Act as amended in 2022. Catching, keeping, buying or selling one can bring a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, jail of up to three years, or both, PETA India noted in an August 2026 Tirupati case, where each of three fortune tellers paid Rs 4,500 to compound the offence.

Native animals commonly kept illegally

The cases that reach the Forest Department in and around Chennai fall into a few groups:

Parakeets: caged by fortune tellers or kept at home, the most common seizure.
Indian star tortoises: kept for luck at home and also smuggled abroad through the airport.
Monkeys: taken as babies. Keeping a monkey as a pet is illegal, and abandoned pets have been handed to wildlife authorities.
Native snakes: rock pythons and others kept by enthusiasts, often for social media videos.

Fortune tellers with caged parakeets have repeatedly been caught near Chennai. In July 2022 the Thiruporur range in Chengalpattu seized seven parakeets from seven fortune tellers and registered cases under Sections 9, 39 and 51, PETA India reported.

Native snakes are covered too. When a YouTuber’s video with a pet python went viral in December 2024, a forest official told DT Next the department would check the species and the papers, and act if there were none. The report said the Act bars keeping rock and reticulated pythons as pets, and mentioned a raid on a Tiruvottiyur pet shop that seized animals kept illegally.

What you can legally keep

Domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits and aquarium fish, and common foreign cage birds such as budgerigars and cockatiels, are not protected native wildlife. Exotic species such as macaws, iguanas, ball pythons and red-eared sliders can be kept, but many now come with paperwork.

The 2022 amendment, brought into force on 22 March 2023, added a Schedule IV for species listed under the international CITES convention. A notification under Section 49M on 28 February 2024, listed in the India Code index, brought in the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024. Under Rule 3, anyone holding a Schedule IV animal must register it, and Rules 4 and 5 cover reporting births and transfers by gift or sale, according to the text of the rules. Registration is done online with the state’s Chief Wildlife Warden.

Before buying any exotic animal, ask the seller for import papers and the registration, and check the species is not native. Indian star tortoises, for example, are sometimes passed off as foreign ones.

If you already have a native animal at home

Do not release it on the street or in a park. Cage-raised parakeets and tortoises often die, and released pet turtles can harm local wildlife.
Call the Forest Department’s 24×7 helpline, 1800 425 4409, and say you want to hand over the animal.
Keep it fed, shaded and calm until staff collect it or tell you where to bring it.
A voluntary handover is treated very differently from an animal found in a raid.

To report a fortune teller with a caged bird, a shop selling native species or an online seller, call the same helpline with the location, photos and any listing link.

This is general information, not legal advice. If you have received a notice or face a case, speak to a lawyer.

Quick answers

Can I keep a parrot in Chennai?

Not an Indian parakeet. Foreign species such as budgerigars and cockatiels are allowed.

Is keeping a star tortoise illegal?

Yes. It is a protected native species. Hand it to the Forest Department.

Do I need to register an iguana or macaw?

If it is a Schedule IV species, yes, under the 2024 registration rules.

What is the fine for keeping a parakeet?

Chennai cases have been compounded at amounts such as Rs 10,000. The law allows up to Rs 1 lakh, three years in jail, or both.

Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.