Four animals, including a monkey and a bird that is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, were rescued from a slum in Pune city of Maharashtra in a joint operation by the state’s Forest Department, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – India, and RESQ Charitable Trust, the website Newstrack reported.
The monkey was chained, and the birds were kept in small cages nearby. The animals have been admitted to the RESQ facility in Bavdhan, Pune, for treatment. The Forest Department has registered a case against one person.
A citizen informed PETA that a rhesus macaque was kept chained in a Yerawada slum. The nonprofit organization informed Aditya Paranjape, honorary wildlife warden, who alerted the Forest Department.
When the team visited the spot, they also found the two Alexandrine parakeets and a common hill mynah, which comes under Schedule 1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act. The forest officers seized all the animals.
R. Varak, range forest officer, Pune division, told the website, “We registered an offence against Shahnagar Kureshi from whose home the animals were seized. Since he was out of town, a lookout notice was issued against him on Monday.” Varak said the department was investigating if there was animal trafficking, or any other racket, in the case.
Saloni Sakaria, PETA India’s cruelty response coordinator, told the website, “Buying, selling, or possessing a Schedule 1 species is an offence under sections 9, 39, and 51 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act punishable by a jail term of between three and seven years and a fine of at least ₹25,000.”
