For Immediate Release:
28 February 2025
Contact:
Hiraj Laljani; HirajL@petaindia.org
Sanskriti Bansore; SanskritiB@petaindia.org
Varanasi— Ahead of World Wildlife Day (3 March), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has launched a billboards blitz in the cities with the biggest bird markets- Varanasi, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Patna. The billboards warn against buying or selling Indian birds, emphasising that such actions are illegal and can result in up to seven years in jail and a fine of ₹1 lakh.
The billboard is located at Hartirath Rd, Hartirath, Daranagar, Kotwali, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001.
“Birds deserve to fly, play, and nurture their young, not languish in cages,” says PETA India Advocacy Associate Shaurya Agrawal. “These billboards by PETA India are a reminder that buyers and sellers of protected species could end up locked away, just like the vulnerable birds they imprison.”
In recent years, PETA India found parakeets crammed on top of each other in tiny cages in small, dark, unventilated rooms, suffocating and jostling for air and space. Baby parakeets were stuffed on top of each other in tiny cardboard boxes. Many dead birds were found trapped between the wire mesh of the cages and on the floor – some of the bodies had even started decaying.
In nature, birds engage in social activities, such as taking sand baths, playing hide-and-seek, dancing, and building nests with their mates. But when they’re caged, these vibrant animals become depressed and withdrawn. They often over-preen themselves to the point of mutilation. Some people forcefully clip birds’ wings so that they can’t fly away.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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