Uttar Pradesh Forest Department Books Man for Illegal Possession of Parakeets, Following PETA India Intervention

Following a concerned citizen’s report about Indian ring-necked parakeets being kept in small, dingy cages at a sugarcane juice vendor’s shop, PETA India worked with Kanpur forest officials to rescue the birds and register a preliminary offence report (POR) against the alleged illegal custodian.

The POR was registered under sections 9, 39, and 51 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972. Following their rescue, the parakeets were sent for a health check then released in nature. Indian parakeets are protected under Schedule II of the WPA, 1972, as amended by the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022. Buying, selling, or possessing this species is an offence punishable by a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh or a jail term of up to three years – or both.

In the illegal bird trade, countless victims are taken from their families and denied everything that’s natural and important to them so that they can be sold as “pets” or used as bogus fortune-tellers. Fledglings are often snatched from their nests, and others panic as they’re caught in traps or nets that can seriously injure or kill them as they struggle to break free. Captured birds are packed into small boxes, and an estimated 60% of them die in transit from broken wings or legs, thirst, or sheer panic. Those who survive face a bleak life in captivity, suffering from malnutrition, loneliness, depression, and stress.