Bharatpur Forest Division Rescue Wildlife from Viral Fame Manju Pooja Aghori, Following PETA India Complaint

For Immediate Release:

01 July 2026

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Bharatpur—After receiving a complaint from a concerned citizen about three Indian parakeets and two juvenile rhesus macaques being held in illegal captivity and neglected in Bharatpur by social media fame Manju Pooja Aghori, in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972, and other animal protection laws, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) worked with the Bharatpur Forest Division to rescue the animals. The rhesus macaques had been restrained with short ropes, while the parakeets were confined to a small cage, leaving them no room to move and visibly distressed. After rescue and brief rehabilitation, the birds and monkeys were deemed medically fit for release, and they were successfully released in the forest.

Videos of the post-rescue release are available upon request.

Alexandrine and rose-ringed parakeets are protected under Schedule II of the WPA 1972. Buying, selling, or possessing these species in violation of the Act is an offence punishable with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to ₹1 lakh, or both.

It is illegal to use monkeys for performances in India. In 1998, the central government issued a notification under Section 22 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, prohibiting the use of monkeys for performances. Rhesus macaques are protected under Appendix II of Schedule IV of the WPA, 1972. Possessing a rhesus macaque without reporting and registering the animal in accordance with Section 49M of the Act and the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, through the PARIVESH 2.0 portal, is a punishable offence that may result in imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to ₹1 lakh, or both.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India (MOEFCC), in its letter bearing F. No. WL-8/91/2024-WL, dated 9 September 2024, stated that all primates are listed in Appendix II of CITES and that the export of rhesus macaques is governed by Section 49-I of the WPA, 1972. Rhesus macaques, therefore, fall within the Schedule IV/CITES regulatory framework of the Act.

As per Section 49M of the WPA, 1972, every person possessing a living specimen of an animal species listed in Schedule IV is required to report the details of such specimen to the Management Authority or authorised officer, and no person may possess, transfer, or breed such a specimen except in conformity with the section and the rules made under it.

To implement Section 49M, MOEFCC notified the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, vide Gazette Notification dated 28 February 2024. Under these Rules, every person in possession of any living specimen of a species listed in Schedule IV of the Act is required to report the details of such animal and submit an application for registration electronically through the PARIVESH 2.0 portal to the concerned State Chief Wild Life Warden, within six months from the commencement of the Rules and thereafter within 30 days of possession of such animal species.

“PETA India is grateful to the Bharatpur Forest Division, particularly Shri Devendra Singh, Range Forest Officer, for their swift action in rescuing the illegally confined parakeets & monkeys,” says PETA India’s Lead Cruelty Response Coordinator, Sreekutty Bennet. “Captivity robs animals of the freedom, dignity, and natural lives they deserve.”

In addition to being revered in Hinduism, rhesus macaques play an important role in local ecosystems by dispersing seeds, largely due to their predominantly fruit-based diet. Their absence can be detrimental to forests.

In the illegal bird trade, countless birds are taken from their families and denied everything natural and important to them so that they can be sold as pets or used as bogus fortune-tellers. Fledglings are often snatched from their nests, and others panic as they’re caught in traps or nets that can seriously injure or kill them as they struggle to break free. Captured birds are packed into small boxes, and an estimated 60% of them die in transit from broken wings and legs, thirst, or sheer panic. Those who survive face a bleak life in captivity, suffering from malnutrition, loneliness, depression, and stress.

To report cruelty to animals or emergencies involving them, please call PETA India on (0) 98201 22602.

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

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