Unlike having pet dogs and cats, having a caged bird does more harm to the little creatures than good. This fact is revealed from a tweet that was posted by Indian Forest Officer Praveen Kaswan on Sunday.
Kaswan posted a picture on the microblogging site on January 31 that showed how the vibrant birds were huddled together in a tight space of a cage with their heads covered with a piece of cloth. These are the same birds that are sold in the market for people who like to beautify their place. Captioning the picture, Kaswan wrote that the birds many people buy from local markets are caught, cramped, and transported in a cruel way, which is one of the many reasons why they should not buy them.
The tweet received over 10.4k likes as netizens shared their views on petting a bird. In the following post, the officer also shared a video of how the birds fly away as forest officials free them from the cage. He described the video as a depiction of what freedom feels like for these birds. It has garnered over 7.6k likes.
The birds you buy from local markets. That is how they are transported. Caught, cramped & transported like this. Don’t buy. pic.twitter.com/PLLpIDkNrH
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) January 31, 2021
The posts have certainly caught netizens attention, and some are even suggesting ways of how they can free such birds which get sold in the market.One user commented that a few times they have bought caged birds and taken them away to release them. However, they wondered if it was a logical thing to do.
A few times, I have bought cages, taken them away, then released the birds. Is is logical to do this? Please advise.
— S. Krishnan (@krishnanism) February 1, 2021
While another Twitterati wrote that they are glad this truth was brought to light. They further said that they did buy caged birds a few times earlier only to release them. However, they were advised against this because bigger birds try to prey on them and are not sure if that is correct.
Thanks for sharing. This is sad! I have bought few times earlier, only to release in the open sky. But was advised against as bigger birds kill the small ones. Not sure if that's correct.. Anyway..
— Vishal Manchanda (@vishalm7) February 1, 2021
Speaking against those who buy the caged birds to set them free later, one user commented that it is not an act of charity since the reality is that birds away from their group are bound to die. They further mentioned that most of the birds sold in the market live in groups and cannot survive alone.
Some people think that buying and setting them free will be charity, but reality is that birds away from their group are bound to die! Most of them live in groups, can't survive alone!
— Eknamist Doge (@IsolatedNetizen) February 1, 2021
Meanwhile this user had a creative idea for those who like to keep birds without the intention of promoting their illegal sale. He advises to plant several trees around your house and see how birds will naturally flock there to build their nests.
Instead of buying plant trees around you you will own 100s of different birds. With their freedom
— Dhayananda BG (@DhayanandaB) February 1, 2021
Next time you go to buy the exotic birds from local markets, remember this tweet.