Perundurai Court Allows Farm Owner Interim Custody of Seized Exotic Animals
Court grants conditional interim custody of 11 exotic animals to Erode farm owner S.K. Keshavanathan, dismissing Forest Department's transfer plea.
A judicial magistrate court in Perundurai has dismissed a Forest Department petition to relocate 11 exotic animals from a private farmhouse to a zoo, instead granting the farm's owner conditional interim custody of the creatures.
Presiding Judicial Magistrate N. Moorthy issued the order on Thursday, with the copy made available the following day. The ruling allows S.K. Keshavanathan, 53, to keep the animals at his premises under several stipulations, including a surety bond guaranteeing their surrender if a higher court or the trial court so directs.
The seized animals include two Lar gibbons (one male, one female), seven serval cats (two adult males, two adult females, and three kittens), and two tufted capuchins (one male, one female).
The court has barred Keshavanathan from selling, gifting, transferring, or relocating the animals. Forest Department officials are permitted to conduct periodic inspections to verify the animals' number, identity, health, and location. Additionally, Keshavanathan must arrange monthly health check-ups by a qualified veterinarian and submit reports to the court.
The order also stipulates that if the animals are found to have been illegally acquired or if Keshavanathan is linked to illegal wildlife trade, the Forest Department may transfer them to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur. The owner must also promptly report any birth or death among the animals to the jurisdictional forest officer and the court.
The case originated from a video showing actor Vikram with a Lar gibbon, which prompted a Forest Department inspection of Keshavanathan's farmhouse. The inquiry led to the seizure of the 11 animals and the registration of a case under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, alleging violations related to possession, delayed registration, and failure to report a gibbon's death.
The animals had remained at the farmhouse under Forest Department watch. The department's subsequent petition to move them to the Vandalur zoo was rejected by the court, which instead permitted Keshavanathan to retain custody under the imposed conditions.