A total of ten parakeets that were rescued and nurtured by Animal Rescuers, an animal welfare organisation, were released into the wild here on Wednesday.
This was part of the ‘born to fly’ initiative of the organisation under which it is campaigning against caging of parakeets.
Caging of parakeets was prohibited as the species was protected under Schedule IV of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
S. Umarani, Secretary, Animal Welfare Board of India, released the parakeets and also inaugurated an Animal Welfare Club at the C.M.S. Matriculation Higher Secondary School. She urged the students to involve themselves in animal welfare activities. The C.M.S. school students, by using grains of various colours, had created a 2000-sq.ft. art work portraying a parakeet attempting to fly.
Vinny R. Peter, director (community education), Animal Rescuers, said that of the12 parakeet species found in India, four have been recorded in Coimbatore: Malabar Parakeet, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Rose-Ringed Parakeet and Alexandrine Parakeet.
M. Senthil Kumar, District Forest Officer, Coimbatore Division, P. Pramod, senior scientist, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), spoke. A signature campaign against caging of parakeets was launched.
