Animal Abusers Slapped With Rs 40,000 Fine Following PETA India Complaint About Cruelty to Parakeet, Bird Rescued
Acting on a tip from a concerned citizen, PETA India worked with the divisional forest officer of Agra Forest Division to rescue an Indian parakeet – a species protected under Schedule II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972 (as amended in 2022) – who was being held illegally and subjected to torture by a family in the Taj Nagri Phase 2 neighbourhood of Agra. Video evidence shared confidentially with PETA India showed a man hurling his shoe at the cage with the bird inside and a woman slapping the bird multiple times after adjusting and holding the bird tightly in her hand. A hefty fine of Rs 40,000 was levied upon the offenders under Section 51 of the WPA, and the parakeet was released into their natural habitat shortly after being seized, following a medical examination. Indian parakeets are protected under Schedule II of the Act, and 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 birds are torn away from their families and denied everything that is 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, while other birds 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 and legs, thirst, or sheer panic. Those who survive face a bleak, lonely life in captivity, suffering from malnutrition, loneliness, depression, stress, and abuse.
