PETA India's latest campaign in  Lucknow urges people to not buy caged birds

In an attempt to highlight the need for a free life for birds, PETA India rolled out an awareness initiative in the city. As per this scheme, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India is installing billboards near the bird markets in Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. In Lucknow, the board with the advertisement has been set up at King George's Medical University, which lies very close to the Nakhass bird market.

Birds to be acknowledged as beings with independent lives

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Directing attention towards the hardships faced by birds in cages, these advertisements will motivate people to stop buying birds from markets and pet shops. PETA India Senior Campaigns Coordinator, Radhika Suryavanshi said, "Without hope that their lockdown will end, many captive birds tear out their feathers, cry out, and even collapse."

She further said in a release that PETA is requesting people not to see birds as decorative objects. It is important to acknowledge the winged creatures as being with their own life and needs. Additionally, it is noteworthy that keeping birds in cages acts in violation of the norms laid in The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Animal Welfare Board of India asks for a ban on caging of birds

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Nature has created birds to fly and explore the horizons of the sky. From taking sand baths and playing hide-and-seek to building nests with their mates and nurturing their young, their life comprises a range of activities. Thereby, caging hinders their basic life needs, depreciating the quality of life for them. Sometimes, they become depressed and resort to self-destructive measures, much like humans.

In view of this, the Animal Welfare Board of India, a central government statutory body has issued an advisory to all states and Union Territories to ensure a ban on the caging of birds.

Knock Knock

Previously, a PETA India supporter from Lucknow posed as a caged bird a day before Independence Day, to spread awareness about the negative effects of caging. She held a sign that said, "Birds Don't Belong in Cages. Let Them Fly Free." Now, PETA India has planned this intervention based on the same message in a bid to spread awareness amongst the citizens.

- With inputs from IANS