Forest officers suspected that the accused persons had captured the birds from the forests with the intention smuggling them out and selling them for a good price.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Trading in indigenous birds is prohibited and the hill myna is protected under the Schedule-I (Part-III) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
The Special Task Force (STF) of the forest department rescued three hill mynas (Gracula religiosa and amanesis and indica) and two parrots at Gora More near NJP in Siliguri last evening.
Based on a tip-off, foresters of the task force rushed to the area and found three persons bargaining beside a grocery shop, but as they encircled the men, they managed to give the forest team the slip.
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“However, we have identified one of the persons as Md Ukil, who is already wanted in previous wildlife cases. We searched the area and found a cage which was hidden in a jute bag. There were three Hill myna and two parrots in the cage,” said the head of the STF, North Bengal, Sanjay Dutta.
Trading in indigenous birds is prohibited and the hill myna is protected under the Schedule-I (Part-III) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, forest officers said.
Forest officers suspected that the accused persons had captured the birds from the forests with the intention smuggling them out and selling them for a good price.
It may be recalled here that the STF had rescued a pair of hill myna and seven parrots from a cage on a motorcycle at Gazaldoba in Jalpaiguri district and arrested two persons on 23 May.
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