The trade in 12 species of Indian parakeets is illegal according to the Wildlife Protection Act. However though India has strong laws; their reinforcement is not strong enough to deter the criminals who violate the law.
This is partly because the general public is completely ignorant about the law and hence continue to encourage these nefarious activities by purchasing these innocent birds from their cruel traders.
Going beyond legalities, The parrot trade is wrong on many counts.
1. It is extremely cruel to the birds. Birds are often kept in very cramped conditions where their wings, toes etc get injured by brushing against sharp metal edges or wiring. Also, as a result of the stress of many birds being confined in small cages, the birds fight with each other and injure themselves.
2. The wild population of all Indian parrot species, with possibly just one exception has declined steeply in the past. Parrots play a very valuable ecological role as seed predators and removing vast numbers from the ecosystem would cause lot of ecological damage, including the spread of harmful weeds.
3. Parrots are not domesticated animals like the Dog or Goldfish and are completely unsuitable for keeping in captivity , especially indoors inside a typical human household. Even if they are captive bred for many generations, they retain their instinct and some species can inflict painful bites.
4. The behavioral and nutritional needs of some species are very complex and not all people can provide them the adequate care they require in captivity.
5. Once a bird, especially young ones, have been in captivity for a certain duration , which varies with species, they are very difficult to release into the wild and will definitely die a very sad death, by starvation or preyed upon by scavengers and predators. PLEASE don’t release birds into the wild; if you note birds being traded in cruel conditions, try to get them into a proper bird rescue shelter.
6. From a social perspective, the people who trap birds from the wild, many of whom are from the tribal community are paid very little money and are brutally exploited by the middlemen, who are based in big cities like Bangalore. The middlemen make the most money in this trade and often have criminal connections.
However the good news is that ALL this can stop, only if you can make a choice.
It is up to the general public to stop this nefarious and ecologically damaging activity. If you stop buying birds, especially parrots as pets, the capture, the unhygienic captive breeding and the cruelty would stop too.
PLEASE DON’T ENCOURAGE THE BIRD TRADE.
