New Delhi: Amid rising cases of dog bites in the country, the government has directed states to ban and breeding of several dog breeds including Pitbull Terrier, American Bulldog, Rottweiler among others.
The Centre has issued a list of 23 dog breeds and asked states to stop their breeding and sale.
Centre in a letter to all the states, UTs, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying have asked them to sterilised the mentioned dog breeds.
The Government said it has received representations from citizens, citizen forums and Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs) to ban some of the breeds of dogs from keeping them as pets and other purposes.
The panel has identified 23 breeds of dogs, including mixed and cross breeds, as ferocious and also dangerous for human lives.
List of dog breeds banned by the Centre
Pitbull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Boerboel Kangal, Central Asian Shepherd Dog and Caucasian Shepherd Dog are among the breeds sought to be banned from the Centre.
Other breeds include South Russian Shepherd Dog, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Japanese Tosa and Akita, Mastiffs, Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Wolf Dogs, Canario, Akbash Dog, Moscow Guard Dog, Cane Corso and Bandog.
"... the above dog breeds, including crossbreeds, shall be prohibited for import, breedings, selling as pet dogs and other purposes," the government letter said, quoting the recommendations of the expert panel.
The Centre has published the Prevention of Cruelty to the Animal (Dog Breeding and Marketing) rules, 2017 and the Prevent of Cruelty to Animal (pet shop) rules, 2018.
In the letter, Joint Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying O P Chaudhary said implementation of the rules is vested in local bodies and state animal welfare boards as well as the Department of Animal Husbandry.
With inputs from PTI
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