Chennai, Aug 26 Days after a 48-year-old man was mauled to death by a pit bull in the city, the Tamil Nadu government has issued a strict ultimatum to all dog breeders, pet shops, and sellers to register with the Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB) by September 30.
Boarding centres engaged in illegal dog breeding have also been asked to comply with the directive.
Officials said the TNAWB, along with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), will soon conduct inspections in suspected breeding areas to check for banned breeds, including pit bulls and rottweilers, among 11 others.
At present, only a handful of pet shops and breeding establishments are registered with the state board.
"Those who fail to register will face legal action from October 1," warned Shruthi Vinodh, member of the TNAWB.
According to the board, Chennai alone has more than 100 illegal breeding centres.
Additionally, pet dogs are openly sold in weekend markets, with the trade generating several crores of rupees every month. The price of a pitbull pup alone ranges between Rs 25,000 and Rs 1 lakh, depending on its breed purity.
Despite this booming trade, neither the TNAWB nor the GCC maintain proper records of breeding centres or dog sales.
Shruthi Vindoh said that penalty amounts are being finalised.
"We are in talks with the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department to frame an enforcement plan. For now, local bodies can directly impose fines or file complaints against violators," she said.
Officials also admitted that illegal sales are increasingly happening online, through social media platforms, which makes enforcement even more difficult. Animal rights activists have urged the state to take stronger steps.
Arun Prasanna, founder of People for Cattle in India, said: "Local bodies must extend field-level enforcement and work with NGOs to curb illegal sales. First, there has to be a ban on the entry of pure breeds from foreign countries. More importantly, local bodies and police should book illegal breeders and sellers using provisions already available in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), instead of waiting for new penalties. Nothing stops officials from filing police complaints immediately."
With the deadline set, officials said crackdowns on unregistered breeders and shops will intensify after September 30.
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