Chennai: 3 held for illegal trade of parakeets
The sale is mostly through online where the traders charge up to Rs 2,500 per bird.

Chennai: In the wake of poachers targeting the nesting Parakeets for illegal pet trade and wildlife rescue headquarters in Chennai arresting three poachers in the past two days, wildlife activists demand better vigil and stringent action against poachers across Tamil Nadu and Andhra.
According to wildlife sources, poachers are now hyperactive targeting the nesting parakeets and the young hatchlings less than one month old are poached from Andhra and parts of Western Ghats.
They are smuggled into Chennai and then distributed to pet traders. The sale is mostly through online where the traders charge up to Rs 2,500 per bird.
“The Alexandrine parakeet is one of the largest parrots and is facing the threat of extinction due to poaching and habitat destruction. The poachers are now into habitual offending and need more stringent action”, said a wildlife activist based in Coimbatore. The breeding season for these birds are usually from November to April in their natural distribution range spread over Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra.
When contacted, wildlife headquarters forest ranger C. Murugesan said two cases have been booked in connection with the poaching of Alexandrine Parakeet. In the first case reported on Thursday, a fine of Rs 25,000 was imposed on a trader and in the second case cracked on Friday, the accused Mujib was arrested and remanded as he is an habitual offender.
“We have rescued 156 hatchlings and they are now under quarantine and will soon be released back into wild,” he said, adding that the poaching of parakeets is on a surge due to online pet trade.