Forest department officials and volunteers of Blue Cross of India rescued marmosets and exotic birds from a house in Velachery on Thursday.
According to Sushana Vittaldev, a volunteer with Blue Cross of India, they received a tip-off on Wednesday that exotic animals and birds were kept in captivity at the premises in Velachery. Along with a police team, they reached the spot.
“We heard several bird cries but had to wait for over two hours for the in-charge of the house to arrive,” Ms. Vittaldev said.
The birds, which included macaws and cockatoos, appeared fatigued. Lack of care was evident in the empty water bowls and dirty cages that had not been cleared of faecal matter. The animals and birds were later taken to the forest department office in Pallikaranai.
“The person in-charge of the animals did not seem to have a licence to breed such creatures. The marmoset is an endangered species. I wonder how the eight animals were brought here,” Ms. Vittaldev said.
When the forest department was alerted about the animals, senior officials acted swiftly and helped to rescue them. “The animals and birds will be thoroughly examined and taken care of,” an official said.
