bird trade
May 7, 2004
Bird trade flourishing in India despite ban: Peta
MUMBAI, May 7: Illegal bird trade continues to flourish in India inspite of the fact that the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, bans trading of birds, according to people for ethical treatment of animals (Peta’s) Chief Functionary Anuradha Sawhney here.
Poachers bring in thousands of birds, captured from the forests, smuggle them in cramped containers or even stuff them into socks and hide them in shoes, small boxes or even toilet paper rolls. Sixty per cent of the birds die in transit from broken wings and legs, thirst or fright, she said yesterday.
The leading NGO also alleged that the loaders and station masters are commonly paid to look away as birds are smuggled into Indian cities.
These birds are sold in pet shops and crammed into filthy cages. Some are artificially dyed with garish colours.
The Peta pointed out that the birds are flock-oriented. In their natural habitats, they preen each other, fly together, play and share egg-incubation duties.
Birds are masters of navigation. They use the sun, stars, landmarks and the magnetic pull of the earth to guide them on journeys of thousands of miles.
The Peta appealed to the citizens to complain in case one comes across a bird-seller or a fortune teller who mostly use parrots.
Peta spokesperson Bijal Vachharajani said if more people appreciate how rich and complex birds’ lives are in the wild, human exploitation of birds, fuelled by the illegal pet trade, would decrease.
Despite the Wildlife Protection Act, which bans the trade and trapping of all indigenous birds, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which restricts the trade of foreign birds, a black market in birds thrive openly in many places, involving 300 of the country’s estimated 1,200 species.
"Laws designed to protect India’s birds are well intentioned, but rarely enforced," she lamanted and said one of the largest illegal trades in animals takes place at crawford market in south Mumbai.
In 1997, Bombay High Court ordered a committee to conduct raids at the market, which temporarily curbed the illegal trade. The committee was active for a few months before they stopped and so the illegal activities of the animal dealers in the Crawford market and in other markets are mushrooming.
Bird markets thrive openly in many cities because police and wildlife officials commonly accept bribes from the sellers. At the nakhas market in Lucknow, one bird hawker sells ravens, rafter pigeons, wild roosters, turkeys, ducks, lovebirds and sarus cranes, the world s tallest flying bird and an endangered species, while at the Hogg market in Kolkata, every Sunday village trappers sell more than 6,000 birds to the local sellers on market day, said Vachharajani.
Poachers illegally bring in thousands of birds, captured from the bird-rich hills and forests of the northeast, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar primarily around the gangetic plain and in the foothills of the Himalayas or from southern states, such as Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and deccan plateau.
Packed in small boxes, they are transported on trains to cities. An estimated 60 per cent die on their way as a result of broken wings and legs, thirst or sheer panic and fright.
Birds play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance. Their dwindling numbers are beginning to take a devastating toll on India’s forests, which need birds to spread seeds in order to thrive. It is estimated that for every Parakeet or Munia in captivity, there is one tree less in India.
Many of the birds being widely traded are threatened species, such as the Swamp Francolin (Francolinus Gularis), green Munia (Estrilda Formosa), Finnbs Baya (Ploceus Megarhynchus) and Shaheen Falcon (Falco Peregrinus). (UNI)
Bird trade flourishing in India despite ban: Peta
MUMBAI, May 7: Illegal bird trade continues to flourish in India inspite of the fact that the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, bans trading of birds, according to people for ethical treatment of animals (Peta’s) Chief Functionary Anuradha Sawhney here.
Poachers bring in thousands of birds, captured from the forests, smuggle them in cramped containers or even stuff them into socks and hide them in shoes, small boxes or even toilet paper rolls. Sixty per cent of the birds die in transit from broken wings and legs, thirst or fright, she said yesterday.
The leading NGO also alleged that the loaders and station masters are commonly paid to look away as birds are smuggled into Indian cities.
These birds are sold in pet shops and crammed into filthy cages. Some are artificially dyed with garish colours.
The Peta pointed out that the birds are flock-oriented. In their natural habitats, they preen each other, fly together, play and share egg-incubation duties.
Birds are masters of navigation. They use the sun, stars, landmarks and the magnetic pull of the earth to guide them on journeys of thousands of miles.
The Peta appealed to the citizens to complain in case one comes across a bird-seller or a fortune teller who mostly use parrots.
Peta spokesperson Bijal Vachharajani said if more people appreciate how rich and complex birds’ lives are in the wild, human exploitation of birds, fuelled by the illegal pet trade, would decrease.
Despite the Wildlife Protection Act, which bans the trade and trapping of all indigenous birds, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which restricts the trade of foreign birds, a black market in birds thrive openly in many places, involving 300 of the country’s estimated 1,200 species.
"Laws designed to protect India’s birds are well intentioned, but rarely enforced," she lamanted and said one of the largest illegal trades in animals takes place at crawford market in south Mumbai.
In 1997, Bombay High Court ordered a committee to conduct raids at the market, which temporarily curbed the illegal trade. The committee was active for a few months before they stopped and so the illegal activities of the animal dealers in the Crawford market and in other markets are mushrooming.
Bird markets thrive openly in many cities because police and wildlife officials commonly accept bribes from the sellers. At the nakhas market in Lucknow, one bird hawker sells ravens, rafter pigeons, wild roosters, turkeys, ducks, lovebirds and sarus cranes, the world s tallest flying bird and an endangered species, while at the Hogg market in Kolkata, every Sunday village trappers sell more than 6,000 birds to the local sellers on market day, said Vachharajani.
Poachers illegally bring in thousands of birds, captured from the bird-rich hills and forests of the northeast, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar primarily around the gangetic plain and in the foothills of the Himalayas or from southern states, such as Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and deccan plateau.
Packed in small boxes, they are transported on trains to cities. An estimated 60 per cent die on their way as a result of broken wings and legs, thirst or sheer panic and fright.
Birds play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance. Their dwindling numbers are beginning to take a devastating toll on India’s forests, which need birds to spread seeds in order to thrive. It is estimated that for every Parakeet or Munia in captivity, there is one tree less in India.
Many of the birds being widely traded are threatened species, such as the Swamp Francolin (Francolinus Gularis), green Munia (Estrilda Formosa), Finnbs Baya (Ploceus Megarhynchus) and Shaheen Falcon (Falco Peregrinus). (UNI)
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