Actor Prantika Das Caged for PETA India in Plea to Let Birds Fly Free
Following the Calcutta High Court directive against the trading of unauthorised animals at Galiff Street market, actor and PETA India supporter Prantika Das stood up for all birds. She was dressed in white with giant wings and confined inside a cage in front of Victoria Memorial, next to a sign reading, “Birds Don’t Belong in Cages. Let Them Fly Free.” Das’ aim was to help the public recognise that birds belong in the sky, not behind bars, and to never buy them.
“Birds are meant to feel the wind in their wings, not languish in cages. PETA India and I are calling on Kolkata residents to buy a pair of binoculars and watch beautiful birds in their natural habitats instead of imprisoning them.” – Prantika Das, Actor
In nature, birds of different species engage in social activities, such as taking sand baths, playing hide-and-seek, dancing, building nests with their mates, and nurturing their young. But when they’re confined in cramped cages and deprived of opportunities to engage in natural behaviours, these same vibrant animals can become distressed and withdrawn. Many engage in excessive preening and feather-plucking, often to the point of self-injury. Some people force birds to endure wing clipping in an attempt to prevent them from flying away, yet flying is as natural and important to birds as walking is to humans. In the bird trade, birds are captured from nature, packed into small boxes, and shipped to be sold into captivity, and many suffer and die in transit from injuries, dehydration, starvation, or severe stress. Those who survive face a bleak life in a cage, often suffering from neglect, malnutrition, loneliness, depression, and stress.
The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WPA, 1972), prohibits the capture and hunting of protected indigenous wild birds and restricts their possession and trade, with violations punishable by imprisonment, a fine, or both. International trade in endangered species is further regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which India has incorporated into the WPA through its 2022 amendment. Clipping of birds’ feathers to ensure captivity and prevent flight amounts to mutilation and maiming, which is a cognizable offence under the PCA Act, 1960, as well as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Prantika Das has worked across Hindi and Bengali cinema. She played Noor in the horror-comedy hit Bhool Bhulaiyya 3 and Saraswati in the 2026 horror-comedy Zorr. She has also appeared in Bengali films including Bharga and Tilottoma, as well as the 2026 web series Office Days. She will next appear in the Bengali film Rahu, the Hindi film The Legend of Abujhmaad, and the Odia film Bibah.com.
