The Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division of the Forest Department has arrested a seller, Md Emon Mia (20), with 60 parrot chicks in Chattogram.

He was arrested at around 5.30pm on Wednesday (12 April) in the GEC intersection area of the city. Emon Mia is the son of Fazar Ali of Rampur village under Muradnagar police station in Cumilla district.

The arrested man is a professional bird seller, said Muhammad Ismail Hossain, wildlife ranger of the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division in Chattogram.

He said that acting on information from the Wildlife Crime Control Unit in Dhaka, a drive was carried out at the GEC intersection on Wednesday afternoon and Emon was caught red-handed with 60 parrot chicks. A case has been filed against him under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, and he will be produced in court on Thursday.

"There is a ring that trades parrot chicks like these. We had been trying to catch it for a long time," he said. During initial questioning, the arrested man said he had collected the chicks from Sabuj's shop in the city's Nupur Market.

The rescued chicks are 5 to 20 days old and are eating, he said. "We will keep them under care for two months. Once they are fit to fly, they will be released in a hilly area."

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