Two persons have been arrested by the Forest Department on the charges of attempting to traffic 72 parrot chicks in Jagatsinghpur district.
All the Parakeets were recovered from a hotel in Jagatsinghpur. The raid was conducted following a tip-off about a bird smuggling racket.
As per reports, Cuttack DFO directed to constitute a team comprising officials from the Cuttack Range Division, Jagatsinghpur Range Division, and the honorary wildlife warden of Khordha.
The team arrested two accused trading 72 Parakeets at the hotel in Nuapol area in Jagatsingpur. Sources said the seized parakeets include both adults and babies.
The Forest Department officials are questioning the smugglers to ascertain the source and destination where the birds would have been sold. Unconfirmed reports said the parrot chicks were brought from Bhadrak area.
It is pertinent to mention here that similar kinds of birds were earlier seized while being smuggled at Nuapol area in Jagatsinghpur as well.
Parakeet comes under Schedule 2, Part B (Birds) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 2022(amendment), Govt. of India. Trading or possession of such species is a criminal offence.