Lawmakers have expressed reservations about the Bill formulated to amend the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 2029 proposing a provision allowing wild animals to be raised as pets. 

Such exceptions were taken at Friday's meeting of the Environment Conservation Committee under the Legislature-Parliament. 

Speaking at the meeting, Madan Bahadur Amatya charged that the Bill was put in place allowing wild animals to be raised as pets in collusion with mafias. 

Likewise, Suresh Raj Acharya said that the issue of allowing wild animals to be reared as pets is ambiguous. 

Another lawmaker Dirgha Raj Bhat was of the view that the Bill proposing the provision to allow wild animals to be reared as pets are objectionable. 

Likewise, lawmakers Man Bahadur Bishwokarma, Parshuram Tamang, Ganga Bishwokarma, Sakaldev Sutiyar, Sudip Prakash Wala, Barbat Gurung, Tukraj Sigdel, Lila Magar, Ganesh Bimali, Sita Luitel (Gyawali), Min Kumari Dahal and Kabita Kumari Sardar among others stood against the Bill. 

Delivering his views, Chief Executive Officer of the Jane Goodall Institute Nepal Manoj Gautam said that the outbreak of various diseases like bird flu and swine flu could occur and the environment affected if wild animals are allowed to be raised as pets, apart from increasing animal attack on humans and the risks of the poaching and smuggling of wild animals. 

Meanwhile, the committee president Janak Raj Chaudhary said that discussions would be held on the Bill among concerned sectors like the Ministry of Forests, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation on Sunday. RSS