Rescuing and rehabilitating
In January 2023, 16 Alexandrine chicks, about 3-4 weeks’ old were seized by the CID forest cell from illegal pet traders in Bengaluru. They are currently being taken care at Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre’s (WRRC) rehabilitation center, and it will be a long and arduous process to have them released back into the wild. If everything goes well, the batch of birds will be ready to be released back into the wild in 1-2 years, during which time, they will learn vital flight skills, overcome their imprinting on people, develop parakeet social skills, etiquette and language, learn alarm calls and how to watch out for predators, courtship behavior etc. Alexandrine parakeets are very popular in the pet trade as they are considered to be talking parakeets. The poachers snatch the chicks from the nests when they are just a few days old, depriving them of any chance to adapt or learn basic survival techniques. WRRC, in collaboration with the HCL foundation, has been conducting monthly outreach programs at schools and villages around Bannerghatta to raise awareness surrounding wildlife, illegal pet trade and rescue and rehabilitation.