Can I keep a squirrel, monkey or owl as a pet?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Not an owl, and almost never a monkey. Indian owls and nearly all Indian monkeys, from the bonnet macaque to the Hanuman langur, are in Schedule I or II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act as amended in 2022, so capturing or keeping one is an offence. Giant, flying and jungle palm squirrels are protected too.
The common striped palm squirrel and the rhesus macaque are not in Schedules I or II, but that is not a licence to keep them: all primates need registration under Schedule IV, and cruelty law applies to every animal. If you find a wild baby, call a rescue or the forest department.
Which wild animals are protected?
Species people in India most often ask about, as listed in the Gazette of 20 December 2022.
| Listed in | Can you keep it? | |
|---|---|---|
| Common barn owl, Indian eagle owl, brown fish owl, mottled wood owl Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I, Part B | No |
| Spotted owlet, Indian scops owl, jungle owlet and other owls Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule II, Part B | No |
| Bonnet macaque, lion-tailed macaque, slender loris, Nilgiri langur Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I, Part A | No |
| Northern plains grey (Hanuman) langur Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule II, Part A | No |
| Rhesus macaque Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Not in Schedules I or II; Schedule IV covers all primates | Only with Schedule IV registration, which needs lawful origin |
| Indian giant squirrels and flying squirrels Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I, Part A | No |
| Jungle palm squirrel (Funambulus tristriatus) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule II, Part A | No |
| Common three-striped and five-striped palm squirrels Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Not found in the Schedules | Not a wildlife offence as published, but see below |
| Small Indian and grey mongooses Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I, Part A | No |
We read the mammal and bird lists in Schedules I and II and the primate, squirrel and owl entries of Schedule IV. For an animal not shown here, check its scientific name against the Schedules or ask the forest department.
What does the law actually forbid?
Hunting, which the Act defines to include catching.
Section 9 of the Act, as amended in 2022, says no person shall hunt any wild animal specified in Schedules I and II. The Act defines hunting to include capturing, snaring, trapping and every attempt to do so, and, for wild birds, disturbing their eggs or nests. Since the 2022 amendment the Act defines a 'wild animal' as an animal in Schedule I or II found wild in nature.
Section 39 makes any wild animal kept or bred in captivity in breach of the Act the property of the government, which is why forest officers seize such animals. Section 51 sets the penalties: up to three years, a fine of up to one lakh rupees or both in general, and at least three and up to seven years with a fine of at least twenty-five thousand rupees where the offence involves a Schedule I animal.
Why is the rhesus macaque different, and is it any easier?
In the 2022 Gazette text the rhesus macaque does not appear in the primate lists of Schedule I or II, which name the bonnet, lion-tailed, Assamese, Arunachal and other macaques, and the Hanuman langur. But Schedule IV, which reproduces the CITES appendices, lists all primates not in Appendix I under Appendix II.
Section 49M says anyone possessing a living Schedule IV animal must report it, and that a registration certificate is issued only if the officer is satisfied it was not obtained in breach of any law protecting fauna and flora. In practice, a monkey bought from a roadside seller or a performer comes with no lawful papers. Monkeys also bite, and the welfare law forbids keeping any animal chained on an unreasonably short chain or caged without room to move.
You found a baby squirrel, owlet or monkey. What now?
Wild babies are often not abandoned, and hand-rearing them goes wrong easily.
If A baby squirrel or owlet on the ground, apparently alone.
Watch from a distance for a while; parents often return. Keep cats and dogs away. Call a wildlife rescue if it is injured or still alone. RSPCA Australia knowledgebase
If An injured owl or other wild bird.
Cover it with a cloth, put it in a ventilated box somewhere quiet and take it to a bird hospital or rescue. Do not feed it. RSPCA Australia knowledgebase
If A monkey or other wild mammal bites or scratches you.
Wash the wound with soap and running water and see a doctor today. NCDC's guidelines treat exposure to any wild animal as a rabies risk for the doctor to assess. National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
If Someone is selling owls, monkeys or protected squirrels.
Do not buy, even to 'rescue' the animal, which pays the trapper. Report it to your state forest department. MP Forest Department (copy of the Act, pre-2022 text)
What do people get wrong?
You may have read
If I raised it from a baby, it is my pet, not a wild animal.
Myth
What the sources say
Capturing a Schedule I or II animal is hunting under the Act, whatever the intention, and a captive wild animal kept in breach of the Act becomes government property. MP Forest Department (copy of the Act, pre-2022 text)
You may have read
Owls are only protected if they are rare.
Myth
What the sources say
Common owls are listed too: the spotted owlet and Indian scops owl in Schedule II, the common barn owl in Schedule I. Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research)
You may have read
Monkeys are everywhere, so they cannot be protected.
Myth
What the sources say
Most Indian monkeys and langurs are in Schedule I or II. Only the rhesus macaque falls outside those two, and it is still covered by Schedule IV. Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research)
You may have read
An unlisted animal can be kept any way I like.
Myth
What the sources say
The PCA Act protects every animal: an over-small cage, an unreasonably short chain or too little food, water or shelter are all offences. Animal Welfare Board of India
What about the common palm squirrel?
The striped palm squirrels seen in Indian gardens are not among the squirrels named in Schedules I and II of the 2022 Gazette text, which list giant squirrels, flying squirrels, the jungle palm squirrel and the orange-bellied Himalayan squirrel. In Schedule IV, the squirrel family appears only for the giant squirrels, the Himalayan marmots and some foreign species, not the palm squirrels. So, as published, keeping one is not a Wildlife Act offence.
That still does not make a squirrel a pet. The PCA Act's cruelty provisions apply in full, a squirrel kept caged without room to climb and run is likely to breach section 11(1)(e), and baby squirrels need specialist rearing to survive. The kind choice is to return a fallen baby to its nest area or hand it to an animal rescue.
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Questions owners ask
Is it legal to keep an owl in India?
- No. India's owls are listed in Schedule I or II of the Wildlife Act as amended in 2022, from the common barn owl and Indian eagle owl in Schedule I to the spotted owlet and scops owls in Schedule II. Catching or keeping one is hunting under the Act. Owls are also in Schedule IV, which follows CITES.
Can I get a licence for a pet monkey in India?
- Not for most species: bonnet macaques, langurs, lorises and many other Indian primates are in Schedule I or II. The rhesus macaque is in Schedule IV, where registration needs proof the animal was obtained lawfully, which a monkey caught from the wild or bought from a street seller cannot show.
Can I keep a squirrel I rescued?
- Giant squirrels, flying squirrels and the jungle palm squirrel are protected in Schedules I and II. The common striped palm squirrel is not listed, but caging it without room to move can be cruelty under the PCA Act, and babies need specialist care. Hand it to an animal rescue.
What is the punishment for keeping a protected wild animal?
- Section 51 of the Wildlife Act, as amended in 2022, sets up to three years in prison, a fine of up to one lakh rupees, or both. For Schedule I animals the term is at least three and up to seven years, with a fine of at least twenty-five thousand rupees.
Is a mongoose a protected animal?
- Yes. The 2022 Gazette text lists the small Indian mongoose, grey mongoose and other Indian mongooses in Schedule I, the highest protection. Catching, keeping or selling one is an offence without the Chief Wild Life Warden's written permission.
Keep reading
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research): The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 (No. 18 of 2022), published 20 December 2022 (opens in a new tab)
- MP Forest Department (copy of the Act, pre-2022 text): The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as amended in 1982 (AWBI's copy) (opens in a new tab)
- National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: National Guidelines for Rabies Prophylaxis, 2019 (National Rabies Control Programme; scanned PDF, read by text recognition) (opens in a new tab)
- RSPCA Australia knowledgebase: I've found an injured or abandoned bird, what should I do? (opens in a new tab)