A consignment of Alexandrine parakeets smuggled into Delhi was seized at the New Delhi Railway station in a joint operation of the Railway Police and Wildlife SoS on Sunday night.

According to Wildlife officials, the traffickers had concealed the endangered birds inside milk crates to avoid suspicion and evade detection.

Sharing details on rescue operation, the Wildlife officials said a consignment of Alexandrine parakeets was found in custody of traffickers on-board Rajdhani Express.

“The delicate baby birds were crammed into milk crates to avoid suspicion and evade detection. A concerned passenger heard the sounds from the milk crate and alerted the Delhi Forest Department and the railway authorities,” official said.

“The consignment was intercepted at New Delhi Railway Station by a team of Forest Officials, following a formal order from the Chief Wildlife Warden. Around 11.30 pm on Sunday, the birds were handed over to Wildlife SOS for treatment,” he said.

Bhartati Dasan, Wildlife Inspector Delhi Forest Department, said, “After the instructions from the Chief Wildlife Warden and Wildlife Officer, we reached the New Delhi Railway Station on Sunday night and took the birds into custody and handed over to Wildlife SOS.”

Notably, the Alexandrine parakeet, Psittaculla Eupatria, is listed as near threatened species and one of the most sought after species in the Indian live bird trade. 3-4 weeks old parakeet chicks are captured from the wild and are crammed into tiny containers, while being transported to bird markets in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Patna, Lucknow and Kolkata.

Geeta Seshamani, secretary, Wildlife SOS said, “The rescued birds are very small and vulnerable requiring extensive care and feeding every 3 to 4 hours. The birds will be released in their natural habitat once they are fit for release.”