Hyderabad: The Wildlife Protection Act says that no one can keep wild birds as pets. Anyone taking care of such birds must either hand them over to the forest department or release them in forests, lakes and parks. In India, local birds are not supposed to be kept as pets but exotic birds such as budgerigars and cockatoos are allowed to be kept as pets. It is common for people to keep parrots as pets but this is illegal, as is keeping mynahs and finches that are trapped from the wild and sold in markets.
According to the Wildlife Protection Act, if the bird belongs to Schedule-I then the accused will be punished with seven years imprisonment or with fine up to Rs 25,000 or both. Rajeev Mathew, expert member of the Telangana Biodiversity Board said that usually birds are found after falling from nests or a deer fawn may be found bedded down by its mother. “They may think it is abandoned and pick it up. Some end up as pets in homes but we cannot overlook that. Awareness should be created that animals, big and small, and all birds, should be left alone and nature will take its own course,” Mr Mathew said.
