Illegal Bird Trade in India

• India is home to some 1,200 different species of birds. The Indian Wildlife Act bans the trade and trapping of all indigenous birds, and the trade of foreign birds is restricted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Caging and displaying parrots and parakeets, as fortune-tellers often do, is illegal and punishable by a fine and up to five years in prison. Despite this, bird markets continue to flourish openly in many places.
  
  
• Fledgling birds are captured from their nests, and other birds are caught in traps or nets, which can cause serious injury or death for both parent and baby birds.
  
  
• In India, birds are trapped primarily in the northern states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh - mainly around the Gangetic plain and in the foothills of the Himalayas. Other types of birds are found in the south in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Deccan Plateau. Assam and the higher areas in the northeast are also rich in bird species. A major component of the bird trade consists of parakeets caught from the wild, an act which is in direct violation of the Indian Wildlife Act.
  
  
• As birds spread seeds, forests remain intact. It has been said that for every parakeet or munia that is kept in a tiny cage inside a house, there is one less tree in India.
  
  
• Birds are illegally transported on trains. Stationmasters and loaders are paid to look the other way while poachers bring thousands of birds from the forests of the northeast into the cities, packed into small boxes. Sixty per cent of birds die on the journey because of broken wings and legs, thirst or fright. It is estimated that for every bird who reaches his or her final destination, two die en route.
  
  
• Some of the main bird markets in India include the Nakhas in Lucknow, Hati Bagan and Hoga market in Kolkatta and Crawford Market in Mumbai.
  
  
• In 1997, animal activists filed a petition, following which the Bombay High court passed an order that assembled a committee to enforce the Wildlife Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in areas where this illegal trade was taking place, including Crawford Market in Mumbai, one of the largest centres for the illegal bird trade. The committee subsequently conducted raids, which curbed the illegal trade for a while. However, the committee is no longer active and the illegal activities of the unlicensed animal dealers in Crawford market and other areas of Mumbai are mushrooming. PETA is working with animal groups to reinstate this committee and help these animals get a better life.