Forest Department staff along with nature enthusiasts rescued 105 parakeets from a shop in the Ukkadam fish market complex on Sunday.
The officials also slapped a fine of Rs. 10,000 on each of the three accused.
According to N.I. Jalaludeen, president, Nature Conservation Society, he got an alert from Mohammed Salim of Environmental Conservation Group, on Sunday saying that over 100 parakeets had been kept for sale at the market.
Being nature enthusiasts, they realised that trading the birds was an offence as the birds came under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. They then alerted the Forest Department staff, who rushed to the spot.
The Forest Department sources said that the officials seized 105 birds from A. Abbas, A. Sami and R. Prem, all in their late 20s. On inquiry, the three had told the officials that they had purchased the parakeets from gypsies and planned to sell them to the city's residents at Rs. 200 to Rs. 300 a pair.
The sources said that four of the 105 birds were yellow-ringed parakeets and the rest were ordinary parakeets. They also said that the three youth had clipped the wings of many birds.
They seized the birds and registered a case.
The sources said that by Sunday evening they released 85 of the 105 birds in the Thadagam Reserve Forest area. The remaining birds were being treated with medicines, and food.
