Pune: Parakeets, Hill Myna, Macaque Rescued From Yerawada Slum After PETA India Steps In

Following a concerned citizen’s report about a rhesus macaque being chained in a slum in Yerawada, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India worked with RESQ Charitable Trust and the Pune Forest Department to rescue the monkey. Upon reaching the location, officials also found two Alexandrine parakeets and one common hill myna – birds protected under the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) of 1972. They were confined in small cages close to where the monkey was chained.

After their rescue, they were sent to the RESQ Charitable Trust for health checks, treatment, and temporary rehabilitation. They will be released into the wild after complete recovery. The common hill myna and Alexandrine parakeet are protected under Schedule I and II of the WPA respectively. Buying, selling, or possessing a Schedule I species is an offence under Sections 9, 39, and 51 of the WPA, punishable by imprisonment for a term not less than three years and may extend up to seven years, along with a fine not less than ₹25,000. PETA India has written to the Maharashtra Forest Department, urging that the perpetrators be booked under relevant sections of the WPA.

“PETA India is grateful to the Pune division of the Maharashtra Forest Department, particularly to the Honorary Wildlife Warden, Aditya Paranjape, for promptly rescuing the animals from a grim situation,” said PETA India Cruelty Response Coordinator Saloni Sakaria. “PETA India urges anyone who learns of cruelty to animals to report it to a local animal protection group, the police, or, where wildlife is involved, the forest department,” she added.

In the illegal bird trade, countless victims are taken from their families and denied everything natural and important to them so that they can be sold as “pets” or used as bogus fortune-tellers. Fledglings are often snatched from their nests, and others panic as they’re caught in traps or nets that can seriously injure or kill them while struggling to break free. Captured birds are packed into small boxes, and an estimated 60% of them die in transit from broken wings or legs, thirst, or sheer panic. Those who survive face a bleak life in captivity, suffering from malnutrition, loneliness, depression, and stress.

Meanwhile, monkeys kept in people’s homes as “pets” or forced to perform are often chained or confined to tiny cages. When used for entertainment, they are typically trained through beating and food deprivation, and their teeth are commonly pulled out to prevent them from defending themselves. In 1998, the central government issued a notification under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, stating that monkeys and several other species of wild animals are not to be exhibited or trained as performing animals.