According to Rajendra Magdum, range forest officer (RFO) Mumbai division they were contacted by Naya Nagar police station officials about the pair kept at a shop.
The pair of peacocks rescued by forest officials on November 11 were finally finally sent to Katraj Zoo rescue centre in Pune on Saturday. The wings of the pair — a peacock and a peahen — were found to be clipped at an aquarium shop in Mira Road where they were allegedly kept for sale.
According to Rajendra Magdum, range forest officer (RFO) Mumbai division they were contacted by Naya Nagar police station officials about the pair kept at a shop. "Our staff along with the cops visited the shop and found the pair kept in a small enclosure. We seized the birds and took it under our custody. Being a Schedule I species in Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972 and the national bird, it cannot be kept by any person without permission of the forest department for any kind of sale, display or as a pet. Hence, the owner has been booked under Wildlife Protection Acts," said Magdum adding that even cops have booked them under cases of animal cruelty and forest department has given the owner a notice and investigations will be conducted into this case.
Pawan Sharma of RAWW, whose NGO has been working on rescuing urban wildlife, said: "Kudos to the forest department for seizing, rescuing and initiating further rehab of these wonderful birds. This also shows that there is a lot of awareness needed among people regarding native wildlife trade and a ban on keeping them as pets in captivity."
He added that due to lack of knowledge several people keep peacocks in their farms and resorts illegally and in fact there have been messages doing rounds of peacocks who seem like pets moving around Juhu too and people should contact the forest department or police if they find people keeping peacocks as pets or for sale.
Sources in the forest department informed that after the rescue, veterinarians from Thane SPCA were called to conduct a medical check up and they found that wings of both had been clipped and the peacock was suffering from diarrhoea after which they were given proper medicines and it was decided to rehabilitate them till their feathers grew.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "peacock")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}