He said it could be arranged in just two days as the animals are now bred in farms in Chennai. The pace at which the unregulated pet market in the city is growing is such that exotic species such as ‘spectacled caimen’ (Brazilian crocodile) or a ball python could be spotted in water bodies near the city.

Recently, a veterinarian in Trichy boasted of treating a Brazilian crocodile. Inquiries revealed that the owner bought it from Kolkata. In another case, a man from ECR abandoned his crocodile in Cooum river as it grew up and became a threat to his life. Chennai has become a hotspot of pet trade.
Animals from other Southeast Asian countries are smuggled into the Gulf and the West through the city. This has been happening for more than three decades due to the nexus of local pet traders, middlemen, international traffickers and some officials of security agencies.
A recently released report by the customs officials and the Traffic India estimates that about 37%-40% of the illegal pet trade in the country is happening through Chennai. As per a wildlife official, 35,000 Parivesh applications were received for exotics last year, of which about 9,000 were for Chennai.
“They don’t wait for the application to get through. They use land borders as customs departments have Acts that protect these animals,” said Shekar Niraj, TN Biodiversity board member secretary. “It is a lacuna in the wildlife protection act that doesn’t cover these exotic species.
“It will pose a big threat to the biodiversity in our country as no one is aware of the various zoonotic diseases they could spread,” he said. Some of the biggest breeding centers are located on ECR in farms belonging to the owners of a big beauty product manufacturing company, who brag about owning wallabies and ostriches.
Antony Rubin, an activist, has petitioned the government to bring in laws to protect exotic animals. Srinivas Reddychief wildlife warden, said they were in discussions with the state and central governments to bring in laws to protect the exotic species listed in CITES.