Chirping notes
Jayakrishnan Vu
Bhubaneswar, Feb 15: Birds are harbingers of peace, music and productivity. Hence, all should refrain from the heinous practice of caging birds as pets, said activists of Wildies, a city-based eco-club which has been spearheading a campaign in the city against this practice, which had long been banned by law.
Club secretary Subhendu Bhattacharjee said several species of birds including parrots and sparrows are on the brink of extinction in and around Bhubaneswar due to this practice.
Every year hundreds of parrots are being caught from their nests from the outskirts of the city, and most of them die during the process of catching and transportation,’’ added Subhendu.
Sale of birds is happening at several places in the city, alleged Club president Kumud Ranjan Rath and said illegal bird sellers recently attacked a forest ranger at Pipli junction when he tried to stop their smuggling.
Sale of birds in Bhubaneswar and its periphery has become a lucrative business, though the authorities are alleged to have looked the other way when the offenders indulged in their business, indicated Subhendu.
Conservationists alleged that influential people are involved in the illegal trade and birds are even smuggled to neighbouring states.
Birds live in flock in the forests, but they suffer from malnutrition, loneliness and in confinement, said the city’s bird experts. PNN
