(F)owl play by forest officials

Twelve unwell birds were stacked in shabby, roofless cages in the monsoon at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Twelve unwell birds were stacked in shabby, roofless cages in the monsoon at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park

When an endangered and rare species is rescued, it is assumed that caretakers will protect it.

Twelve endangered species of owls that were recently rescued, however, continue to suffer at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivli.

No Bird Watching: The rescued birds have been kept in dirty cages near the toy rail tracks. They need darkness and a warm environment to recuperate.

These owls are kept in shabby cages and too close to the toy rail tracks, which frightens them. This is their ill-state despite being placed near the forest guards' residence, say insiders.

Rules violated

Earlier, the birds were caged in a small enclosure in the railway car shed, which violated the Forest Act.

Some of the owls were in critical condition when rescued, but were still put in roofless cages during
the monsoons.
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"They need dark and warm conditions to recuperate, as owls are nocturnal and hide themselves during theu00a0 daytime," explained a scientist.
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Chief Conservator of Forest S V Thorat admitted they have been kept in bad conditions.u00a0 "I will look into the matter," assured Thorat.

An NGO pointed that the International Union of Conservation Network (IUCN) guidelines were not followed when the birds were caged.

Birds should be treated well before they are released in the wild or else they can endanger existing stocks and the gene pool.

IUCN norms ensure that the birds are medically examined before they are allowed to fly free again.

Primates in Pants

Customs authorities arrested Thomas Fernandes for smuggling three primates upon his arrival from Bangkok on Tuesday night. Two of the primates were found dead.

Fernandes admitted that he had hidden the primates in a pouch that was tied on his right thigh.

"The pouch was secured with the help of a plastic string attached to the loop of his inner pant," said Tarun Kumar Govil, commissioner of customs, airport.
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Fernandes, who did not have on his person a recommendation from the chief wildlife warden, was only the carrier of the primates and was paid Rs 50,000.

Customs officials said the import of the primates violated the provisions of the Customs Act 1962, EXIM Policy and International Air Transport Association rules.