In what appears to be a positive response to the appeal made by the Forest Department to the public to surrender parakeets that were kept as pets, people handed over 130 of them as on Friday.
The returned birds largely were Rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri). Officials said that all the parakeets found in India are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and keeping them as pet is an offence. This was conveyed to the public during a recently launched campaign and people, who kept them as pets, came forward to hand them over fearing legal action, they said.
Many people, who kept parakeets in their homes, were unaware of the illegality of possessing them as pets. They volunteered to handover the birds.
R. Arun Kumar, forest range officer, Coimbatore forest range, said the parakeets that have been handed over to the department are now housed in the avian recuperation centre, which is situated on the campus of the office of District Forest Officer.
They will be taken care of by volunteers and department staff until they are fit for release. Traders, who sell parakeets illegally clip their flight feathers and trim beaks. The department will take care of the parakeets until they are able to fly properly and their beaks grow fully.
Campaign to surrender illegal weapons
The Forest Department is also conducting awareness campaigns in villages bordering forests, appealing to the people to surrender if anyone possessed illegal weapons like country-made rifles and country-made bombs that are used for hunting. The department has appealed to the people engaged in poaching to surrender their illegal weapons before September 30.
A team from the Coimbatore forest range, along with members of non-governmental organisations, visited Pannimadai, Nanjundapuram and Veerapandi villages on Friday and created awareness among the public on the illegality of keeping illegal weapons and protected birds and animals as pets.
