Releasing Birds: Killing with Kindness?
By Abrar Ahmed
More than a million birds are released each year in India by people who have deep religious beliefs or who simply want to show kindness. But these “humane” individuals do not realize that, far from helping the cause of wildlife, they are supporting a cruel and often deadly trade in birds.
The practice of buying wild birds and then releasing them is long established in India. People of many religious faith - Hindus, Jains, Parsis, Sindhis, Muslims - release a number of birds on auspicious occasions, on feast days, or simply out of piety. For some individuals, such releases can be numbered in the hundreds.
Their motives are undoubtedly pure. As well as seeking divine blessing, sincere and sensitive people take pleasure in giving freedom to a captive wild creature. But recent research indicates that, far from showing kindness, these people are encouraging a cruel and illegal trade in wild birds and endangering ecological balance.
It is thought 30-40 per cent of all birds trapped for business in India are traded for the purpose of release. The rest are sold as pets or for the table. This is part of an international trade in which about 3.5 million wild birds are sold each year - though the number trapped is much higher, an estimated 14-20 million, since about three-quarters of them do not survive to reach the final buyer.
A survey by TRAFFIC - India, the wildlife illegal trade monitoring division of WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature-India, birds for release range from the House Sparrow and Common Crow to the globally endangered species such as the females of Finn’s baya and of Green munia individuals rendered non-commercial due to defects. The practice has increased demand for insectivorous species such as wagtails, kingfishers, bee-eaters, and hoopoes, which were otherwise not regularly trapped because they make poor pets and are unsuitable for the table.
Many places in northern India seek particular species for release. In Lucknow and Hyderabad, for example, both the Common Crow and the Jungle Crow are released on Thursdays and Fridays, a practice started by the old Nawab who sought divine blessings by tying ceremonial threads on the bird’s legs.
Similarly, the Indian roller, or Neelkanth, is a favourite among Hindus, who believe it is an incarnation of Lord Shiva. In fact, demand for the Neelkanth is so high on Dushera festival that the white-breasted kingfisher is often substituted. The kingfisher is more easily trapped and is indistinguishable to the layman.
In 1991, an amendment to the Indian wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 banned trapping and export of all indigenous birds except for the crow, which is classed as vermin. But demand from “humane” people for birds to release ensures that business continues to flourish for clans of professional bird trappers such as Baheliyas, Chirimars and Paydamis in the north, Mirshikaris, Sahnis, and Mundas in the east, Phasiya and Pardi in peninsular India, Hakki pukki and Narikkova in South India and Garos in the northeast.
Indeed, the trade in birds for release has actually expanded the operation of the trappers. Since, species are acceptable, whereas before the activities were restricted to the birds that made good pets or tasty food. This diversity of targets for the trappers has serious implications for conservation efforts because the demand for species is so indiscriminate.
Nor does the “kind” act of release offer much benefit. Many species do not survive when feed outside their habitats. Upland birds such as the Slatyheaded Parakeets or the Himalayan Greenfinch, caught in the Garwhal hills of the Himalayas, are unlikely to live if they are released on the Indian plains.
Furthermore, mortality among freed birds is increased by the stress and injury they suffer at the hands of trappers and dealers.
Birds caught by the latex method, in which a sticky substance is used, suffer damage to their flight feathers or from falling. Bird caught by a trained hawk (most commonly a shikra) more often than not have injuries that do not heal before they are sold.
Insectivorous birds such as shrikes, hoopoes and bee-eaters are most vulnerable. The chances of dealers feeding them live insects are negligible, so they tend to starve for several hours, which further reduces their ability to survive. It is not uncommon for customers to place their orders for particular numbers and species of birds several days in advance. The trappers have no interest in the bird’s survival beyond release, so they waste little attention on them during captivity.
It is not only the desired species that suffers either. In June and July, the trapping season for the highly favoured granivorus munias, funnel nets are used to trap the birds at their roosts.
But munias tends to nest in mixed roosts with insectivorous species such as Yellow-eyed Babblers, Ashy-wren Warblers and Reed warblers. Thus many of these are also caught and although they were traditionally released immediately, they are now kept until they can be sold. Large numbers die when they are eventually freed.
However well-intentioned the practice of buying birds for release might be, it is actually hampering conservation programmes and contributing to the decline of an ever widening range of species. The best way of being kind to the birds is to leave them alone in their natural habitats.
Until the professional bird trapping communities at the grassroots level are rehabilitated into alternative job or greater enforcement of wildlife laws, the bird trade will continue. A customer may release birds valued Rs. 400 rupees a week, thus enabling a trapper earn Rs. 1600 a month. on birds for release. It would be far better if this ‘humane’ person provide alternate employment to a trapper or donated that money to schemes for providing alternative employment for the people who now earn their living by trapping birds. That would earn divine blessings for the donor, the trapper - and the birds.
Abrar Ahmed
Sr. Programme Officer, TRAFFIC India
WWF India Secretariat, 172 - B, Lodi Estate
New Delhi - 110 003.
mailto: trfindia@del3.vsnl.net.in