(Deepshikha Gautam, Intern Journalist) Jammu: The consignment of parrots being brought illegally in the state through Lakhanpur has been recovered by the Sales Tax Department. 30 Alexandria parakeet parrots were being brought in hiding in a truck which ran from Delhi to Pulwama. Their price in the international market is about six hundred dollars per parrot. DC Ranjit Singh of the department got the truck checked on suspicion, after which the smuggling was busted.
The driver and co-driver fled from the spot. On the other hand, the Sales Tax Department has handed over the birds to the Wildlife Department, imposing penalties as per the rules. Wildlife Department warden Vijay Kumar Verma said that this species of birds are protected under schedule four. In this case, there is a provision of fine or imprisonment of up to five years in this case. He said that a case has been registered under the Wildlife Act by capturing the birds and investigation will be done from where and to whom the consignment was being transported.
They told that these birds will be left open in the forest area. So that they can return to their natural residential areas. He told that Alexandria is a species of parakeet parrot that can imitate human languages very accurately. That is why its demand is also high and it is trafficked. Alexandria Parakeet has been included in the crisis list in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. The Wildlife Protection Act is protected under Schedule 1 (b) of 1972. This species of parrot is native to South and Southeast Asia. A consignment of such preserved birds has been captured for the first time in Lakhanpur.
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