CHENNAI: More than 50 Alexandrine parakeet (Psittacula eupatria) chicks kept for sale were rescued on Sunday by the wildlife (headquarters) ranger from Santhome,
Royapuram
and Old Moore Market area.
Five people, including a 56-year-old acupuncture practitioner named Mohammed Ramali, were secured by wildlife officials. The others were identified as G Muthuselvam, S Jagan, K Sathish and
N Karthik
.
The birds are protected under Schedule IV of the
Wildlife Protection
Act,1972.
A senior wildlife official said most of the chicks were 10 to15 days old. He said these medium-sized birds are found in neighbouring
Andhra Pradesh from where they were trapped and transported to Chennai.
Alexandrine parakeets breed from December to March. “Those who catch these chicks get only a pittance. When it reaches the pet shop, each pair is sold for Rs 3,500,” an official said.
In Chennai, the birds are illegally sold at
Pallavaram
and in Moore Market area. “This time a team of conservationists followed an online trade that led to the seizure of the chicks,” said the official. A big network of people is involved in the trapping, transportation and trading of this bird, he said.
Alexandrine parakeets are talkative. When trained, they exhibit acrobatic skills due to which there is a big demand for these parakeets in the pet trade, the official said.
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