Forest department personnel on Saturday rescued 25 rose-ringed parakeets, five cattle egrets and a common myna kept for sale on the roadside at Koodapakkam near here.
Officials said that acting on a tip-off, a team launched an operation at Koodapakkam and rescued 25 rose-ringed parakeets, including five juveniles, five cattle egrets and a common myna.
However, the Forest department personnel said they could not arrest the poachers who were selling bush meat as they fled the spot, leaving behind the parakeets and carcasses of the egrets. The rose-ringed parakeet is listed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and trading of the birds is an offence. The wings of the parakeets were clipped to prevent them from flying away and kept in cages. The juveniles were only a few days old and were offered for ₹300 to ₹500.
Shot with pellets
A Forest department official said the birds were hunted with pellets using country-made guns. Of the 15 cattle egrets, only five survived while the rest died of pellet injuries.
The birds would be treated at the rescue centre of the department before being released at the fringes of the Oussudu Lake, which is a bird sanctuary, he said.
According to a wildlife activist, “the parakeets and cattle egrets are found in abundance near paddy fields and areas abutting the Oussudu Lake. Despite frequent raids, poaching of birds continues unabated near the Oussudu Lake. There is a huge demand for keeping rose-ringed parakeets as pets in homes. Because of lack of awareness, many people buy them from hawkers to keep them as pets in homes.” It is illegal to keep rose-ringed parakeets as pets at home.
The demand for bush meat is high on the weekends. The birds are hunted near Oussudu Lake. The poachers kill the birds with impunity, thanks to the apathy of the Forest department in implementing anti-poaching measures.
