Surat claims top spot in India’s air quality rankings
These three cities with population of more than one million, have topped the Swachh Vayu Survekshan (clean air survey) Awards for clean air, the government announced on Saturday.
Acting on a tipoff from a concerned citizen, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India worked with the divisional forest officer of Agra Forest Division to rescue an Indian parakeet – a species protected under Schedule II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972 (as amended in 2022) – who was being held illegally and subjected to torture by a family in the Taj Nagri Phase 2 in the city.
Video evidence shared confidentially with PETA India showed a man hurling his shoe at the cage with the bird inside and a woman slapping the bird multiple times after adjusting and holding the bird tightly in her hand.
A hefty fine of Rs 40,000 was levied upon the offenders under Section 51 of the WPA, and the seized parakeet was released into their natural habitat shortly after seizure, following a medical examination.
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Indian parakeets are protected under Schedule II of the Act, and possessing this species is an offence punishable by a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh or a jail term of up to three years or both.
“PETA India thanks Agra Forest Department for working with us to rescue the caged and abused parakeet from a horrendous situation,” says PETA India Cruelty Response Coordinator Saloni Sakaria in a statement on Friday.
“This incident is exactly why laws exist to keep wild animals where they belong – in nature – and out of cages and chains,” she commented.
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