Is it legal to keep a turtle in India?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Not if it is an Indian species. The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2022, lists India's native turtles and tortoises in Schedule I or II, so catching, buying or keeping one is an offence. Exotic species are different: any foreign tortoise, and other species listed under CITES, must be registered with the state forest department.
Before you buy any turtle or tortoise, find out its exact species and ask the seller for its import or registration papers. If it is an Indian species, or the papers are missing, do not buy it. If you already keep one, contact your state's Chief Wild Life Warden's office.
Why can you not keep an Indian turtle or tortoise?
Because the 2022 amendment put India's native species in the two protected Schedules, and the Act treats catching one as hunting.
The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, published in the Gazette of India on 20 December 2022, rewrote the Act's Schedules. Its Schedule I lists 30 turtles and tortoises, including the Indian star tortoise, the Indian flapshell turtle, the Indian tent and roofed turtles and the Indian softshell turtle. Schedule II adds the Asian leaf turtle, the brown roofed turtle and the Indian black turtle.
Section 9, as amended, says no person shall hunt any wild animal in Schedules I and II. The Act's definition of hunting includes capturing, snaring and trapping, and every attempt to do so. Section 40 adds that no one may acquire, keep, sell or transport a Schedule I animal without the previous written permission of the Chief Wild Life Warden or an authorised officer.
The pressure on these animals is real. TRAFFIC's analysis found at least 1,11,312 Indian tortoises and freshwater turtles in illegal trade between September 2009 and September 2019, more than 11,000 a year, taken for pets, food and medicine. Where the species was recorded, the Indian star tortoise made up 49% of the animals seized.
Which turtles are protected, and how?
Common species in the Indian pet trade, as listed in the Gazette text of the 2022 Amendment Act. Schedule IV carries the CITES appendices.
| Wildlife Act schedule | CITES appendix (Schedule IV) | Can it be a pet? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I | Appendix I | No |
| Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I | Not confirmed on this page | No |
| Indian roofed turtle (Pangshura tecta) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I | Appendix I | No |
| Indian tent turtle (Pangshura tentoria) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I | Appendix II (Pangshura spp.) | No |
| Indian softshell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I | Appendix I | No |
| Spotted pond turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I | Appendix I | No |
| Brown roofed turtle (Pangshura smithii) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule II | Appendix II (Pangshura spp.) | No |
| Indian black turtle (Melanochelys trijuga) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule II | Appendix II | No |
| Exotic tortoises, such as the African spurred (sulcata) tortoise Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Not native | Appendix II (all tortoises not in Appendix I) | Only if registered |
| Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Not native | Not found in Schedule IV (Appendices I to III) | Check with the forest department |
Read from the Gazette pages of the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022. We did not check Appendix III or CITES changes made after 2022, so treat the last row as unconfirmed.
Can you keep the turtle you have, or the one you want?
Start with the species. Its name decides everything else.
If It is an Indian species, or the seller cannot name the species
Do not buy it. Catching, buying or keeping a Schedule I or II animal is an offence without the Chief Wild Life Warden's written permission. MP Forest Department (copy of the Act, pre-2022 text)
If You already have an Indian turtle or tortoise at home
Contact your state Chief Wild Life Warden's office or the nearest forest office and ask how to hand it over. Do not release it into a pond or lake yourself. MP Forest Department (copy of the Act, pre-2022 text)
If It is an exotic tortoise, or another species listed in Schedule IV
It must be registered with the state's Management Authority under the 2024 Rules, with proof of how it was acquired. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on moef.gov.in)
If It is an exotic turtle you cannot find in Schedule IV, such as a red-eared slider
Ask the forest department in writing whether registration applies before you buy, and keep the seller's bill and import papers. TRAFFIC
What does registering an exotic turtle or tortoise involve?
Section 49M of the Act and the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, G.S.R. 145(E) of 28 February 2024, set the duties.
- Report the animal and apply electronically in Form I within 30 days of getting it. Animals already held when the Rules began had six months. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on moef.gov.in)
- Pay the application fee the Rules set: one thousand rupees (Rs 1,000), as published on 28 February 2024. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on moef.gov.in)
- For an animal acquired after the 2022 amendment came in, attach the import licence and CITES export permit, or the earlier registration certificate. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on moef.gov.in)
- Expect a physical check of your home by the Deputy Conservator of Forests before a registration certificate is issued. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on moef.gov.in)
- Report any births, transfers and deaths. A death is reported with a post mortem report from a veterinary practitioner. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on moef.gov.in)
- Have the animal checked by a vet registered with the Veterinary Council of India at least once every six months, and keep the health record. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on moef.gov.in)
- Report any escape to the nearest forest office within 24 hours, and never let it mix or breed with Indian species. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on moef.gov.in)
- Section 49M says no one may possess, transfer or breed a Schedule IV animal except as the section and its rules allow. Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research)
What do pet shops and old articles get wrong?
You may have read
Star tortoises are only in Schedule IV, so they are easy to keep.
Myth
What the sources say
That was the old position. TRAFFIC's 2019 factsheet called for moving the star tortoise from Schedule IV to Schedule I, and the 2022 amendment lists it in Schedule I. TRAFFIC
You may have read
A small pond turtle from the market is a common pet, so it must be legal.
Myth
What the sources say
Common is not legal. The Indian flapshell, tent and roofed turtles are all in Schedule I of the amended Act. Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research)
You may have read
Exotic means no rules apply.
Myth
What the sources say
Since 2024, keeping any Schedule IV species, which includes every tortoise, needs reporting and registration. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on moef.gov.in)
You may have read
If I rescued it from a drain, I can keep it.
Myth
What the sources say
Capturing a Schedule I or II animal counts as hunting under the Act, whatever the intention. Call the forest department instead. MP Forest Department (copy of the Act, pre-2022 text)
What are the penalties?
Section 51 sets the punishment for breaking the Act. After the 2022 amendment, the general offence carries imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to one lakh rupees, or both. Where the offence involves a Schedule I animal, the term is at least three years and up to seven, with a fine of at least twenty-five thousand rupees. The same higher range now applies to offences involving species in Appendix I of Schedule IV, which includes the star tortoise.
You found a turtle on the road or in your society. What now?
Turtles often turn up on roads and in drains in the monsoon. If it is in danger, you may move it a short way out of traffic, but do not take it home. Note where you found it, take a photo and call your state forest department or its wildlife helpline, who decide where it should go.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
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Questions owners ask
Is it legal to keep an Indian star tortoise at home?
- No. The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 lists the Indian star tortoise in Schedule I, the highest protection, and in Appendix I of Schedule IV. Keeping one without the Chief Wild Life Warden's written permission is an offence, with a prison term of three to seven years and a fine under section 51.
Is the red-eared slider legal in India?
- It is not a native species, so it is not in Schedules I or II. We did not find it anywhere in Schedule IV of the 2022 Gazette text (Appendices I, II and III), so as published it is neither protected nor covered by the 2024 registration rules. The schedules are scanned pages and CITES lists can change, so ask your state forest department in writing before you buy one. Our answer on red-eared sliders has the detail.
Do I need a licence for a pet tortoise?
- For an exotic tortoise, yes in effect: every tortoise species is in Appendix I or II of Schedule IV, and the 2024 Rules require you to report it and apply for a registration certificate within 30 days of getting it. Indian tortoises cannot be kept as pets at all.
What if I bought a turtle years ago without knowing the law?
- Contact your state Chief Wild Life Warden's office and explain. For exotic Schedule IV species, the 2024 Rules accept animals acquired before the 2022 amendment with a declaration and proof of earlier acquisition. For Indian species, ask how to hand the animal over, and do not release it into the wild yourself.
Keep reading
- Is the red-eared slider legal in India?
- Birds as pets and the Wildlife ActThe same 2022 Schedules decide which birds you may keep.
- Animal cruelty law in India
- Pet travel rules in IndiaWhat moving or importing an animal involves.
- Pet registration in India
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)
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on moef.gov.in): Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024: G.S.R. 145(E), 28 February 2024 (opens in a new tab)
- TRAFFIC: Tortoises and freshwater turtles under siege: factsheet on illegal trade in India, September 2009 to September 2019 (opens in a new tab)