Save Wildlife through Captive Breeding
With enactment of The Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) (Amendment) Act, 2025 the institution of wildlife rangers has been introduced; and for the purposes of raiding and searching the wildlife rangers is an autonomous body whereas previously the wildlife department needed the help of local police station for conducting a raid. The issue picked up the hype when the captive parrots of certain people were also captured by the wildlife department in disguise of wild birds.
With the Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) (Amendment) Act, 2025 and empowerment of wildlife officers with the tag of Rangers, two-fold issues took place. The first one is breeding exotic parrots which do not come within the jurisdiction and ambit of wildlife laws and any confiscation of exotic parrots shall be contrary to law and spirit of The Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) Act, 1975 as amended from time to time.
The other aspect is the breeding and capturing of wild Alexandrine &
Ringneck Parrots which are green in color. The present policies of wildlife are devoid of any external efforts for saving the wild Alexandrine & Ringneck Parrots in Punjab. The Punjab Wildlife department put the Indian Ringneck Parrot in protected schedule from unprotected without any prior warning or consultation from the existing breeders. Thereafter, without issuing and implementing the license and ring policies the Punjab Wildlife department has started raiding the houses of breeders. It is very comic that the captive-bred Indian Ring necks which are being confiscated might be bred in captivity for generations and are not capable of being released into the wild. The mechanism for training such parrots has not yet been devised which might be leading to a sharp decline in population of Alexandrine & Ringneck Parrot instead of preserving them.
The main breeding ground for wild Alexandrine & Ringneck Parrots are the
hollow or excavated tree holes which are in Lahore. Unfortunately, the poaching of young chicks was done right under the nose of the Punjab Wildlife department in the last 30 years and the population depleted. The second biggest reason for depleting population is netting of adult wild parrots which is being done in district Sialkot and Kasur. The first step to save the wild Alexandrine & Ringneck Parrot shall be to implement the laws to stop poaching and netting of such wild Alexandrine & Ringneck Parrots for which the Punjab Wildlife Department may require to devise some internal checks and balances.
It is very comic that instead of stopping the poaching and improving habitat for wild Alexandrine & Ringneck Parrots, the Wildlife department has started doing crackdowns on the pet Alexandrine & Ringneck Parrots. The captive parrots are confiscated and sent to the zoo. In some videos on Punjab Wildlife’s social media, the said captive parrots are claimed to be released into the wild. The idea which might fascinate WWF and conservation organizations but in fact a parrot in captivity for generations cannot survive in the wild without proper training and restoring its habitat.
Accordingly, the law might require amendments and being implemented into its true spirit.
