HYDERABAD: A video on YouTube, in which Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and a few Raj Bhavan staff are posing in front of a caged Indian Roller bird (Palapitta), has evoked anger among various NGOs that advocate animal rights. The video was uploaded on Tuesday, on Dasara.
Palapitta is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, and is also the State bird of Telangana. Many believe that its sighting on Dasara is auspicious. As a result, people capture them before the festival, clip their wings and trap them in cages, to be sold to people for Dasara.
In the video, uploaded by a local news channel, a person can be seen placing the cage on a table. He then opens the cage, and the bird comes out and falls off the table, indicating that its wings might have been clipped.
Humane Society International/India MD Alokparna Sengupta wrote to the governor seeking a response. She pointed out that the possessing, capturing and injuring the Palapitta can attract imprisonment of up to three years and a penalty of `25,000. Meanwhile, a forest official said that they can take action only if they receive a formal complaint with proof. Sengupta said that they will submit a complaint on Friday.