Two arrested for keeping protected parrots in meat shops in Haridwar following complaint by PETA

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand Forest Department has rescued 34 protected 'Rose-ringed' and 'Alexandrine' parrots from two meat shops in Roorkee in the Haridwar district and arrested two persons for illegally trading protected species of birds, officials said.

The Forest Department officials said in Dehradun on Monday that the action was taken following a raid at some shops in the old tehsil area of ​​Roorkee on the orders of Haridwar Divisional Forest Officer Vaibhav Singh following a recent complaint lodged by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India.

According to officials, Shoaib and Shariq were allegedly found in possession of the protected parrots, following which they were arrested. They said the two accused had illegally kept the protected parrots in cages in their meat shops.

According to officials, a case has been registered against the accused under various sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. 'Rose-ringed' and 'Alexandrine' parrots are protected animals under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and buying, selling or possessing them is a crime, they said.