200 Parrots, Domesticated In Tamil Nadu Village, Released In Forest

The houses in Meiyampuli village in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu reared green parrots against the Wildlife Protection Act, of 1972. The law protects the country’s wild animals, birds and plant species to ensure environmental and ecological security. Due to this, nearly 200 green parrots have now been released into the forest by the Ramanathapuram district authorities.

In June, a notification was released by the officials which requested the public to voluntarily hand over the birds to them so that they could be released into the wild. In such a situation, the villagers Meiyampuli handed over the parrots to forest officials which they have been rearing as pets at home.

As domesticated green parrots, their feather had been clipped by their owners. They were unable to fly. As a result, they were kept in the forest for four months so that they could grow their wings. The 200 green parrots flew to the forest after growing a pair of wings. This whole process was conducted under the leadership of the Ramanathapuram District Collector Thiru B Vishnu Chandran and District Forest Officer, S Hemalatha. The birds were seen flying to the forest while making a loud chirping sound of freedom.

After the announcement in June, the forest department of Tamil Nadu initiated a special campaign in which the people were asked to voluntarily hand over Green Parrots to the forest officials which they had kept as pets in their homes. In July, the district officials released 18 parrots into the forest under the same campaign. Before that, the score was 10. Now with the recent release of 200 birds, it is estimated that over 220 birds have been released in the forest under this ongoing campaign.

While interacting with The Indian New Express, the Ramanathapuram District Forest Officer, S Hemalatha said that keeping birds like Green Parrots, Grey Francolin, Myna, Panag, Kadai, Panjavarna Pura, Blue Parrot and other smaller and exotic birds as pets in houses is a crime under Wildlife Act of 1972. S Hemalatha also appreciated the residents of the district who came forward to help the officials in this campaign.