Animal Rights Law in Nepal 2026 — Cruelty + Wildlife

Under the NPWC Act 2029, killing a protected species or trading in body parts attracts 5 to 15 years' imprisonment plus NPR 500,000 to 1,000,000 fine.

Yes. Section 289 of the Penal Code 2074 makes killing a cow or ox punishable by up to 3 years' imprisonment; grievous injury up to 6 months; lesser injury fine up to NPR 50,000.

Schedule 1 of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029 lists the protected species — one-horned rhinoceros, royal Bengal tiger, snow leopard, Asian elephant, musk deer, red panda, gharial crocodile, clouded leopard, swamp deer, black buck, gaur, and others. Schedule additions are made by Government notification. Trade in body parts (skin, horn, ivory, musk, scales) is also prohibited. The penalty schedule applies equally to killing, possessing or trading in protected species.

No. A standalone Animal Welfare Act has been in draft form since around 2015 but has not been enacted. The current framework operates through Penal Code 2074 Sec 289-291 (cruelty and cattle), the Animal Health and Livestock Services Act 2055 (livestock health), the Animal Slaughterhouse and Meat Inspection Act 2055 (humane slaughter), the NPWC Act 2029 (wildlife), and the non-binding Animal Welfare Directive 2073 (Five Freedoms guidance). Civil-society organisations continue to advocate for a unified statute.

The Animal Welfare Directive 2073 (2016), issued under the Animal Health and Livestock Services Act 2055, applies the international Five Freedoms framework to animal welfare in Nepal: freedom from hunger and thirst; from fear and distress; from injury and pain; from discomfort; and to express natural behaviour. The Directive is administrative — it cannot found a criminal charge on its own and is not legally enforceable as a statute. It operates as guidance for ministries, institutions, and inspectors. Sources sometimes describe it as binding law; this is a misreading.

Bullfighting and cockfighting fall within Section 290 cruelty to animals, with possible aggravation under Section 291 (public-place cruelty). Penalty up to 3 months or NPR 5,000 fine. Cultural events involving bullfighting at certain hill festivals have been challenged through writ petitions; the Supreme Court has generally favoured protective interpretation but enforcement against deeply embedded cultural practice is uneven. Gambling on animal fights adds separate Penal Code 2074 Sec 121-125 gambling offences. Animal-welfare NGOs file periodic complaints.

In August 2016, the Supreme Court of Nepal issued a 52-page judgment on petitions challenging the mass animal sacrifice at the Gadhimai festival in Bara district (held every 5 years, with hundreds of thousands of animals sacrificed). The judgment criticised the practice and ordered the government to implement a phase-out policy with public-awareness and alternative-ritual support. Reaffirmed in September 2019. Implementation has been uneven — subsequent festivals have seen reduced numbers but the practice continues. Animal-welfare NGOs continue to monitor and litigate.

DNPWC, under the Ministry of Forests and Environment, administers the NPWC Act 2029 — manages national parks and wildlife reserves, enforces against poaching and illegal trade, runs species-conservation programmes (rhino, tiger, snow leopard, vulture, gharial), maintains buffer-zone community programmes, and coordinates international cooperation through CITES. The Department deploys Nepal Army units in major parks (Chitwan, Bardiya) and works with the Forest Police and CIB on intelligence-led enforcement. DNPWC publishes annual conservation statistics including the zero-poaching record.

No. Keeping a wild animal as a pet is generally an offence under the NPWC Act 2029 (for protected species), with penalty up to 5-15 years' imprisonment and significant fines. Even non-protected wild animals (birds, reptiles) sourced from the wild require specific licensing. Captive breeding for permitted purposes (zoo, education, research) requires DNPWC licence. Dog, cat, livestock and aquarium-fish pets fall outside the wildlife framework and are governed by the Animal Health and Livestock Services Act 2055. Exotic pets are increasingly restricted.

The Animal Slaughterhouse and Meat Inspection Act 2055 (1999) and accompanying Rules govern licensed slaughter and meat sale. A slaughterhouse must be licensed, employ a veterinary inspector, perform ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection, follow humane slaughter methods, dispose of carcass waste hygienically, and label meat sold for consumption. As of 2026, the Act is fully implemented in only three cities — Hetauda, Butwal and Surkhet — with informal slaughter continuing elsewhere. The Department of Livestock Services oversees licensing and inspection. Cow slaughter is prohibited regardless.

Nepal currently has no statutory ban on cosmetic testing on animals. The Animal Welfare Directive 2073 sets non-binding principles consistent with avoiding unnecessary suffering, but does not create a cosmetic-testing ban. Globally, EU, India, Australia, Brazil and others have implemented cosmetic-testing bans; Nepal's cosmetic industry is small, and the issue has not been prioritised in legislative drafting. Civil-society advocacy has begun raising the issue but no Bill has progressed. Imported cosmetics from jurisdictions with bans are increasingly common.

Article 51(g) of the Constitution of Nepal 2015 is a Directive Principle of State Policy on natural-resource conservation, including protection of wildlife and biodiversity. As a Directive Principle, Article 51(g) is not directly justiciable — it does not create individual enforceable rights — but the State is constitutionally obligated to pursue the policy. The Supreme Court has cited Article 51(g) in expanding the interpretation of statutory animal-protection provisions and in writ petitions seeking enforcement of wildlife conservation. It is the constitutional anchor for the NPWC Act and related statutes.

Nepal is a party to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) since 1975. The CITES framework restricts cross-border trade in listed species; Nepal's NPWC Act 2029 operationalises CITES domestically. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation is the CITES Management Authority for Nepal. Cross-border enforcement at the India-Nepal and China-Nepal borders is a major focus, with the Department of Customs working jointly with DNPWC and Nepal Army. Tiger-skin, rhino-horn and musk-pod smuggling cases remain the highest-profile prosecutions.

Yes. Rescuing stray dogs, cats, livestock and other domestic / semi-domestic animals is not regulated as long as no harm is done in the rescue process. Animal-welfare NGOs and rescue groups operate in Kathmandu and other cities. Where the rescued animal is a wild species (or appears to be), the proper route is to inform DNPWC or the Forest Department for handover to a sanctuary or release back to habitat. Private rehabilitation of wild animals without authorisation can run into NPWC Act penalties. Vaccination, sterilisation and rehoming of stray dogs is supported by some municipalities.

Section 295 of the Penal Code 2074 criminalises bestiality (sexual conduct with an animal), with penalty varying by the species and circumstances. The section operates alongside Section 290 cruelty to animals where harm has been caused to the animal. Cases under Section 295 are rare in the public record but do appear in District Court prosecutions. The defence and prosecution often rely on veterinary evidence and forensic examination of the animal. Mental-health considerations may apply at sentencing.

The cow is Nepal's national animal under the Constitution of Nepal 2015. Killing of a cow or ox is criminalised under Penal Code Sec 289 with up to 3 years' imprisonment. Beef sale and consumption is restricted (cow specifically; buffalo meat is widely consumed and sold). Cultural and religious sensitivities around the cow shape enforcement attention — Sec 289 cases attract community attention disproportionate to the statutory penalty. Mob-justice responses to alleged cow-killing have themselves generated separate criminal exposure under assault and Sec 38 (hatred-motivated aggravation) provisions.

Several NGOs operate in animal welfare in Nepal — Animal Nepal, Sneha's Care, Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre (KAT), Sasane, Federation of Animal Welfare Nepal (FAWN), and others. Their work includes rescue and rehabilitation, vaccination and sterilisation drives for stray dogs, advocacy for the standalone Animal Welfare Act, complaint-filing under Sec 290, public-awareness on cruelty, and intervention at slaughter and live-market sites. The NGOs interact with the Department of Livestock Services, municipalities, and Nepal Police as needed. Several maintain shelters and adoption programmes.

FIR registration under Sec 290 requires identification of the complainant for service of process; fully anonymous complaints are not directly admitted. However, animal-welfare NGOs frequently serve as complainants on behalf of unidentified individuals who report cruelty, with the NGO becoming the named complainant. Where the matter involves wildlife under the NPWC Act 2029, DNPWC operates a tip-line that accepts anonymous information. Whistleblower protections under the Right to Information Act and the Witness Protection Act 2075 can apply in significant cases.

For NPWC Act poaching cases immediately on arrest or DNPWC contact — the 5-15-year sentencing range makes early intervention critical. For Sec 290 cruelty complaints when the 3-month limitation is approaching. For Sec 289 cattle-related complaints where community pressure or sectoral sensitivities are at play. For institutional matters — zoos, slaughterhouses, livestock operations — where regulatory inspections raise welfare concerns. And for constitutional / writ litigation seeking expansion of animal-protection enforcement under Article 51(g) Directive Principle.