UNEXPECTED GUEST: PART II

When I look into the eyes of an animal I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I feel a soul. ~A.D Williams.

Is there anyone who does not like animals at all? Is there anyone in this world who does not love colourful birds freely flying in the blue sky? Is there anyone who does not admire the vivid butterflies on the scrub? I won’t think so I get anyone who hates animals to the fullest. All of us love one or the other animals either by watching them in natural parks or in zoos or by keeping them as a pet. Well, I love keeping pets at home; I have a dog and fish as my pets. I just love to play with them. Dogs, cats, love birds, budgerigars (budgies), doves, ornamental fish are some of the most loved pets. Among these dogs, cats and budgies are the most loved pets in this world. Today’s article is dedicated to all the pet lovers who love keep/have budgies as pets.

 

March 10^th, 2017, it was a well ordered Friday for me, board exams were near and everyone was busy with their work and so do I. I was sitting on my chair, scribbling something all alone in my laboratory. A hilly region with greenery is what I could see through my window with lots of birds perching on the trees. Sweetly chirping birds’ songs refills my energy to work enthusiastically. Sometimes calls of common crows, mynas, bulbuls and Asiatic koels have restored my lost faith. A midst these lovely tweets, an unusual chattering voice was so close to my ears; what that voice is saying? Is it trying to tell me something? Or is it a simple call of a bird? I never knew and I continued my work turning a deaf ear to those ‘chirrups’. 

The call did not stop, it’s better to pause my work for a while and give ears to that cry. What was that cry? I just turned towards it and what I saw puzzled me. A green bird with blue tail, the very moment I got up from my chair and followed its footsteps. Under the bar stool was a beautiful, not so healthy and fatigued budgerigar. Yes, you read it right, a budgerigar. Shivering with fear and dehydrated an adorable pet was out of the cage.

Budgerigar or budgie (in short) hails from Australian dry lands. Scientific name, Melopsittacus undulates, commonly called as Australian shell parakeet. Due to its colourful feathers it is bred as a pet. They are the most popular pet in the world and the most imported exotic pet bird in India. They are cheaply available with less expenditure than any other pets. They are least concerned in wild since they can multiply to a great extent. Naturally they have green, yellow and black feathers. But in captivity they are bred into different colours like white, yellow, blue, grey etc. 

The one which I encountered was a male, since males possess blue cere (a cover which protects beaks of birds). Females have grey or brown coloured cere. It can survive for about 5-10 years in captivity but 15-20 years in its natural habitat. I guess this is more than enough for us to understand that birds live longer in its own habitat than we prisoning them like a jail birds.

It might have been someone’s pet but incidentally or accidentally it might have escaped from its cage and flew to my premises. Unfortunately it stayed with me for some hours and by the noon time it managed to fly out of my lab. I could not rescue that little one since there are no rescue team or any facilities nearby and even I am not trained to catch birds. What could have happened to that budgie is still a mystery.

Since budgies are exotic birds to survive in Indian climate is difficult for them. The ring necked parakeet (rose ringed parakeet) is a dominant competitor of budgies. A single budgie cannot defend itself against a group of parakeets. If it manages to escape from its competitor, it cannot escape from its predators. Common crow, jungle crow, black kites are budgies enemies which can predate on them. Yet another time if it comes in the site of human, it will be caged again which is much scarier than all.  

According to wild life protection act 1972, schedule 4, birds like ring necked parakeets cannot be caged. So there are laws against caging Indian birds but no such laws are made against caging exotic birds. Budgies, cockatoos, love birds, finches and macaws are the top five exotic pet birds in India. In most of the cases these birds are illegally smuggled from their native places and sold here.  Every year hundreds of budgies are rescued from Delhi, India alone. So, it is better not to keep them caged and restrain all its freedom. In case if you discover any budgies or exotic pet birds out of the cage immediately inform local rescuers.