Forest department nabs dealers, rescues parrots

CHENNAI: Till Monday, Senthil Kumar, a vegetable vendor at the Koyembedu wholesale market was a proud owner of a pair of Alexandrine Parakeet birds. The 28-year-old youth feeds them, speaks to the pair and provided everything to comfort the parrots. But, his unmatched love towards the pet birds could land Senthil Kumar behind the bars, as Alexandrine Parakeet is a scheduled bird under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. A sleuth from the Department of Forest rescued the parrots and framed charges against him two days ago.“Possession of scheduled birds like Alexandrine Parakeet is a punishable offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act,” said S Davidraj, Forest Range Officer, Head Quarters Range (Wildlife) in Chennai. “Similarly, we have nabbed bird smugglers, who were involved in selling parrots in and around Chennai, after smuggling it from Andhra Pradesh,” he added.Chennai has always been a huge market for the parrot sellers, with locals fond of one of the most colourful members of the entire bird kingdom — Alexandrine Parakeet. Miscreants from the neighbouring state smuggle Alexandrine Parakeet to the city, marketing it at Masthanpuram area in Parrys. Besides, the smugglers sell the parrots at Moore Market and Sandai in Pallavaram localities.When the illegal trade was at its peak, the forest department decided to crack the whip on the offenders. According to Davidraj, the department personnel carried out intensified check to end the menace. He said, “During the last 15 months, we have rescued about 200 Alexandrine Parakeet birds. In one such case, birds were rescued from a school in the city.”Asked whether even the parrot astrologers should not possess the birds, he said, “The parrot astrologers were provided with license for possessing the birds. However, it was abolished, after the implementation of the Wildlife Protection Act, about four decades ago. So, nobody should posses the scheduled bird.”With stern action from the forest department's end, Davidraj claimed that the parrot sale has almost come to an end in Chennai and suburban areas. The department is also creating awareness on wildlife crimes and offence among the school students, he added.