75 parakeets rescued

India: Seventy-five rose ringed parakeets that were rescued from pet stores, pet bird traders, soothsayers, and residents in the last couple of months were on Tuesday released at Narasampathi Tank, near Veerakeralam, on the outskirts of the city.

It was part of the wildlife week and world animal day celebrations jointly organised by the Forest Department and Animal Rescuers (an animal welfare organisation).

The birds were released by a group of students of CMS matriculation higher secondary school. They had their quarterly chemistry exam that afternoon but volunteered to be part of the event. “We are very happy to release these birds in their natural habitat,” said K. Dharani, a student, said.

“Forty-nine parakeets were rescued from Perur in phases, and the rest were from Tirupur. The primary flight feathers of all the birds were plucked and the beaks of most of the birds were clipped,” said Vinny R. Peter, director of an NGO. Fifteen birds did not have tails, he added.

They were treated and nurtured at the aviary of the forest department near the district forest office. These birds – 32 females, 25 males, and 18 juveniles – were among the nearly 225 rescued parakeets getting treated there, under the care of the NGO. On recovery 75 of them were ready for release on Tuesday.