Keonjhar: Forest officials Thursday arrested a youth from Bansapal block in Keonjhar district on charge of keeping an endangered parakeet as his pet after he uploaded a video of his pet parrot on YouTube. The accused was identified as Chinmay Mohanta, 25, of Kumundi village under Bansapal block in the district. He was arrested by the Forest department on charges of violating the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Forest officials said that it is an Alexandrine parakeet which is listed on Schedule-2 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Mohanta is accused of preparing videos of the bird and uploading them on social media platform such as YouTube. In one of the videos uploaded on YouTube, Mohanta is seen teaching the bird to speak while in another he is seen giving tips on how to hold the bird without getting bitten. The video came to the notice of honorary wildlife warden Subhendu Mallick of Khurda.
Subsequently, Mallick lodged a complaint with the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF, Wildlife). Acting on the complaint, Keonjhar forest department arrested Mohanta on charge of violating the Wildlife Protection Act. The videos show Mohanta dropping mustard oil in the bird’s ears and making it pick up an iron bar with its beak which is against the Wildlife Protection Act-1972.
Similarly, holding the bird in hand is tantamount to torture and also against legal norms for which Mallick wrote to the PCCF demanding action against the YouTuber. ACF Ashok Kumar Das said a case has been registered at forest range office at Bhuyan-Juang Pidha range and the bird was seized along with its cage. The accused youtuber has been arrested and mustard oil, a mobile phone, and an iron rod have also been seized in this connection. Keonjhar DFO HD Dhanraj confirmed the development and said an investigation was conducted and the video Mohanta had uploaded on YouTube was checked thoroughly before arresting him and seizing the bird. Mohanta admitted to his wrongdoing stating that he will not repeat such mistakes in future.
Notably, Keonjhar district is covered by dense forests and has numerous species of birds including parrots in its jungles. These parrots build nests on big trees and lay their eggs. Poachers catch these birds alive and sell them in local markets to interested people at prices ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 500. The birds are also smuggled outside the state for a premium. With the Forest department turning a blind eye to such incidents, the unabated poaching of these rare birds has led to a decline in their population.
