A common sight in India's
markets, birds dyed to look like rare and exotic species are a growing problem
for both conservation and animal welfare.
By Moushumi Basu
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 10, 2016
KOLKATA, INDIAStroll down the
lanes and alleys of Kolkata’s Galiff Street on any Sunday morning, and you’ll
see hundreds of wild-caught native and exotic birds for sale, crammed into wire
cages of all shapes and sizes. You’ll hear a cacophony of bird calls and
flapping wings. From their makeshift stalls, traders shout all kinds of bird
names, vying for customers’ attention.
When I went there in July, I saw
jet-black hill mynahs with their neon orange beaks, finch-size green avadavats
with their yellow bellies and zebra-striped flanks, lovebirds, cockatoos, and
various parakeets.
There were even chicks in
improbable shades of flamboyant orange and green. A local vendor peddling a cage
full of them said they were the babies of rare birds, in great demand as pets.
Pet birds have long been a part
of Indian culture. Folktales and royal texts are replete with mynahs, parrots,
and pigeons that adorned imperial courts and entertained wealthy families.
Today the birds are still popular as pets, and they increasingly feature as
good-luck charms at weddings and other celebrations, where they’re released
into the air.
A blanket ban on the sale and
export of native Indian birds has been in place for the past 25 years, yet the
wildlife trade-monitoring group TRAFFIC has recorded more than 450 of India’s 1,300 native bird speciesfor sale
in domestic and international markets.
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