Ten birds that had been kept in cages were released into the sky by workers of the animal conservation organisation Deep Ecology and Snake Rescue Foundation.

The birds were freed on the afternoon of 6 January at the Shaheed Minar premises of Jahangirnagar University.

The organisation's workers rescued the birds, which were being kept illegally, from bird shops at College Gate in Tongi in the capital and at Palashbari in Savar. They were two red-breasted parakeets (madna tia), four green parakeets, two munias and two sharali.

The birds were rescued by the foundation's president Mahfuzur Rahman, its workers Iftikar Mahmud, Syeda Ananya Faria, Mahmudul Hasan Talukder, Tasbin Sakib, Niloy Hasan and Tazrian Alam Nili, and Nargis Sultana Liza, an inspector of the Wildlife Crime Control Unit.

Bird researcher Monirul Hasan Khan, a professor in the university's zoology department, was present at the release.

He told Jagonews: "All the birds released are native and able to breed. Under the wildlife law, hunting, selling, keeping or transporting native birds is a punishable offence. The young volunteers of Deep Ecology rescued these birds from captivity on their own initiative. This is undoubtedly praiseworthy work, and also a good step towards enforcing the wildlife law."

Under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012, hunting, collecting, buying, selling or transporting native birds is an offence. It carries up to six months in prison, a fine of up to Tk 30,000, or both. For a repeat offence the penalty is up to one year in prison, a fine of up to Tk 50,000, or both.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.