Kathmandu, December 21

The National Park and Wildlife Conservation (Fifth Amendment) Rules recently published in the Nepal Gazette stipulate a provision for granting permission to any person or entity for commercial farming and reproduction of various wild mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

Musk deer, swamp deer, chital, hug deer, muntjac, nilgai, hare, porcupine and wild boar are the wild mammals a person or entity may rear. Under reptiles, all its species except python shall be allowed to be kept for commercial and reproductive purposes. Amphibians such as frog and turtles can be kept for the purpose.

The amendment to the rules also allows any person or entity to keep birds such as peafowl, pheasant, luinche, partridge (titra), chukar, junglefowl, dove, mynah, parrot, piura, snow partridge and quail. “Any person or entity willing to keep these wild animals and birds shall submit an application, accompanied by a detailed work plan, to the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation,” states Rule 36b. If a nine-member technical committee headed by deputy director general of the DoNPWC deems the work plan reasonable and meets all prescribed criteria, it shall recommend to the DoNPWC for approval.

“The DoNPWC shall decide whether or not to issue a licence on the basis of the recommendation made by the committee,” it reads. If a person or entity obtains a licence, the DoNPWC shall provide seed animals or birds to the licencee concerned after charging prescribed fee. All expenses incurred for catching the wild animals or birds shall also be borne by the licencee.

The licencee may also import wild animals other than endangered ones from foreign countries, obtaining prior approval from the DoNPWC. “The licencee may sell or export second generation of reproduced wild animals and birds or products made of their body parts by setting out its purpose. Its details shall be submitted to the DoNPWC on a monthly basis,” it states. However, no licencee shall kill the seed animals or birds.

The new provisions allow the licencee to commercially exhibit animals or birds by obtaining permission of the DoNPWC. Other provisions related to minimum infrastructure, terms and conditions, and seed animals or birds for their commercial farming and reproduction shall be as approved by the Ministry of Forests and Environment. If the licencee commits any punishable offence and does not abide by the terms and conditions set down in the existing laws and rules, a competent officer having jurisdiction to hear such case may issue an order to suspend the licence or permit.