Mumbai: Three teenagers rescue abandoned peachick wandering helplessly

A forest department official said the bird was left on the streets by an illegal pet owner in Saki Naka

A peachick, which was wandering helplessly on the streets of Saki Naka even as the crows attacked it, was rescued by three teenagers on Saturday. A wildlife welfare organisation said the bird was an illegal pet and was abandoned by its owner. The boys initially thought the bird was a hen but learnt it was a baby peahen, which is about six months old, after they informed a RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare).

"The bird was first secured by three teenagers Sourav Gupta, Lavkush Yadav and Faiz Ansari after it was abandoned by an unknown person in the middle of the road. When they went near the bird to rescue her, they assumed it to be a hen," said Pawan Sharma, the Honorary Wildlife Warden at Maharashtra Forest Department, Thane.

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"The rescue team members Sahil Vichare and Sanskriti Baptista saved the peachick which was dehydrated and stressed. It is currently under observation and foster care. A
process of its rehabilitation will be initiated after the bird goes through a medical checkup," Sharma added.

"Peacocks are one of the top protected species listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Keeping peacocks as a pet is violation of the Act. They are kept as pets by many high-profile and influential people in their big luxurious apartments and farm houses which is not only illegal but also unethical and inhumane," said Sharma.

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"The kind action of these young kids have touched me. This clearly reflects on the compassion and potential our youth has for wildlife," Sharma said while speaking about the three boys.

Several people in possession of protected species of animals or birds abandon their pets when they find it difficult to take care of them. Several pets, mostly protected species, have been found abandoned in Aarey, Sanjay Gandhi National Park and mangroves in the past.

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