India’s Illegal Bird Markets Thrive Despite Prohibitory Laws

An IndiaSpend investigation into bird markets in three major cities of north India--Patna, Lucknow and Delhi--reveals that these markets are a major hub for domestic and international bird smuggling, despite Indian laws prohibiting this trade. Experts also believe these markets are linked with organised crime and international wildlife trafficking.

Unless there is better implementation of India’s wildlife protection laws, provision of alternate livelihoods to those involved in this trade and more awareness of the dangers of the trade, it will be difficult to regulate such markets, experts told us.

The crowds at Delhi’s kabootar bazaar.

Delhi’s pigeon market

Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2018, shops have to register with the relevant State Animal Welfare Board. Pets can only be sold in permanent structures with adequate provision for water, electricity, with animals housed in large enough enclosures. The rules, among several other provisions, also say that animals must have access to diets as per their needs and that their droppings should be cleaned regularly. Only healthy animals, certified by a veterinarian, can be kept in shops.

But several shops in the Delhi market, which is a stone’s throw from the Jama Masjid, have rare breeds on display, including native and exotic pigeons, parakeets, ducks and lovebirds, stacked in multiple cramped columns of cages.

In the past two years, the Delhi police and the forest department have conducted several raids at this market and seized a large number of birds. Meet Ashar, the Associate Director of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an organisation working to end animal cruelty, says, "Pet shops serve as a facade for the illegal wildlife trade. We raised this issue with the Delhi Police. Not a single shop in the pigeon market is registered under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2018."

"Despite the raids, the pigeon market hasn’t been shut down. However, they have reduced both the number of shops and the stock of birds," Ashar, who is also an animal rights lawyer, added.

M. Harshavardhan, the Deputy Commissioner of Police for Central Delhi, says that if they receive any information about trade in native species at kabutar bazaar, they take appropriate action. “This year too, in coordination with the Forest Department, we conducted raids and recovered birds belonging to native species,” he said.

Patna’s Mirshikar Toli

Here, about 40 shops sell birds in the market named after the hunters or Mirshikars, who once managed the king’s hunting grounds. This market is twice the size of Delhi’s kabootar bazaar.

Alexandrine parakeets are bred in captivity, and brought to this market to sell. As many as 20-25 hatchlings of Alexandrine parakeets, many without feathers, lie cramped with adult parakeets. The market also has other Indian species such as red-breasted parakeets, plum-headed parakeets with their inky blue heads, rose-ringed parakeets with deep pink neck rings, Himalayan parakeets, munias of various colours, the Himalayan mynah, weavers and bulbuls. This market also sells foreign species of parrots and lovebirds, yellow-crested cockatoos, budgerigars, java sparrows and lorikeets. Some birds appear to be sick, with shedding feathers, all cramped into dirty, smelly cages.

This market also sells dogs, cats, rabbits and turtles. Aditya Shankar, a bird enthusiast living near Mirshikar Toli, shares, "Along with parrots, munias and lovebirds, I’ve also seen hawks, falcons, weavers, robin bird, the Indian Roofed Turtle, Indian Star Tortoise, monkeys and mongooses being sold here."

Alexandrine parakeet chicks in Mirshikar Toli.

All of this is in contravention to several Indian laws. The Pet Shop rules say that only healthy animals can be sold, with sick animals quarantined and treated. The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, amended in 2022, says that native wildlife species under Schedule I and II of the Act cannot be hunted, captured or bred, unless deemed to be a danger to life by a wildlife warden or diseased or injured beyond recovery.

Schedule I includes the red-breasted parakeet and the green munia, among others, and Schedule II includes alexandrine parakeets, rose-ringed parakeets and plum-headed parakeets, all species which the reporter saw at these bird markets.

Exotic and native birds caged at Patna’s Mirshikar Toli market. Many birds at this market are sold in contravention of several Indian laws.

To regulate the trade of exotic wildlife, the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022 incorporated species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) under Schedule IV. The Act says anyone who owns these species should report its possession, transfer and birth and reporting of death.

According to Ashar, under this Act, offences related to animals protected under Schedule I--the highly endangered species--are treated with the highest severity. Any person found guilty of any offence against Schedule I wildlife is liable to a punishment with a minimum imprisonment term of three years, which may extend up to seven years, along with a mandatory fine of not less than Rs 25,000. In the case of a repeat offence, the minimum fine increases to Rs 1 lakh.

Gaurav Ojha, the Divisional Forest Officer of Patna, says, "We take action when we get information about bird or wildlife trafficking. On multiple occasions, we have seized bird consignments from trains or buses." He refused to comment on taking action against Mirshikar Toli saying, "We will act when we receive any information."

A sick parrot at Mirshikar Toli. Indian law says that animals at shops have to be cared for well and sick animals should be quarantined.

While the forest department takes action on wildlife smuggling, taking action on Mirshikar Toli is not easy. Forest officials state that in 2022, when a raid was conducted in Mirshikar Toli, the traders resisted.

Ruchi Singh, the then DFO of Patna and now posted in Aurangabad, tells IndiaSpend about one successful raid, "We received information about a bird warehouse in a house in Mirshikar Toli. Since the market was closed due to Covid-19, we did not face much difficulty during the raid. We found over 200 parakeets, hill mynas, and three Sarus Cranes, which were smuggled from Uttar Pradesh.

“All three Sarus Cranes were young. One had a broken leg and was treated for three months but eventually died. The other two were rehabilitated in Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park. This raid occurred during Covid-19, and no arrests were made. A notice was sent to the house owner, but no one came forward to take responsibility.”

Singh says that Mirshikar Toli is involved in organised international wildlife trade, "Mirshikar acts like a wholesale market, connected to places like Kolkata and Delhi. Apart from birds, we have seen turtles, monkeys, and other animals there."

The Mirshikaar Toli area falls under the jurisdiction of the Alamganj police station. Station House Officer Rajeev Kumar states that the matter pertains to the forest department and does not fall under the purview of the police. Patna City (East) Superintendent of Police K. Rangdar asked the reporter for specific details about the market and said the matter needs to be looked into.

Why illegal trade in birds continues

Java sparrows in Lucknow’s Nakkhas market.

During a raid in 2017, “we found 25 Slender Lorises in the Nakkhas bird market. These nocturnal primates, found in Tamil Nadu, are extremely difficult to find in the wild. They were being sold for Rs 25,000 in the Nakkhas market," said Abhishek, who goes by one name, and is project manager at the Nature Environment Wildlife Society. Abhishek, who has also worked for a decade with the International Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network TRAFFIC in India, with whom the 2017 raid was conducted, said, "Slender Loris is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered, and they are listed under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for protected species”.

The market Abhishek is talking about is Lucknow’s bird market. In 2023, a raid at the Nakkhas bird market in Lucknow resulted in the seizure of over 1,200 parrots, munias and foreign birds. Yet, the market continues to thrive. When this reporter visited, it had around eight shops running.

Additional Superintendent of Police Dhananjay Singh Kushwaha, speaking about the Nakkhas market, says that Lucknow is an old city where such markets have existed traditionally for a long time. "As far as their legal validity is concerned, I will definitely look into it and get back to you," he says, adding that many of these matters fall under forest department regulations. "What is permissible and what is not comes under specific acts. I will gather the necessary information and contact you." We will update this story when we receive more information.

According to the State of India’s Birds Report 2020, 37 seizures related to bird smuggling across the country indicate that parrots and munias were among the most commonly poached species--seven or eight out of every 10 birds seized was of these two varieties.

Experts say India’s wildlife protection laws, including the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and the amended Act in 2022, and the Wildlife (Protection) Licensing (Consideration for Additional Cases) Rules 2024--for granting permission for trade in meat or certain animal products--are poorly implemented which results in thriving illegal markets.

A 12th-grade student, who wants to do a masters course in business administration, explains why this trade is attractive, even to the younger generation. "In a job, we will earn at most Rs 40-50,000 a month. In Mirshikar Toli, even from this small shop, we earn at least Rs 50-60,000 every month. The profits in the bird trade are quite substantial,” the 18-year-old, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. He says that he wants to make his trade international. “My grandparents have been in the bird business, and we plan to expand it globally through an app. Our shop is already listed on online platforms as a bird-cage shop.”

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2018 also govern the online sale of animals and ask portals to not permit illegal animal trade.

According to wildlife experts, wildlife crime is often considered a low-risk, high-profit crime. According to data available from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and attached police authorities, over 9,253 poachers were arrested in different poaching cases during 2012-2018 in India, but the rate of conviction was just 2%, said a 2023 study on wildlife crime in India.

“To curb wildlife crime, work must be done on several fronts. Along with the arrest, raids, and seizures, strict punishment for these crimes is also necessary,” said Wasim Akram, Deputy Director at Wildlife SOS, a conservation organisation. “Many times, these cases are treated under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, [rather than the wildlife act] and the offenders are fined just Rs 500 and let go. Who knows, someone might be running a multimillion-dollar trade, and a fine of Rs 500 is nothing!”

Smuggling of wildlife poses a threat to their survival

“The magnitude of this illegal trade remains immense, affecting thousands of species of animals and plants and spanning more than 160 countries and territories,” says the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Wildlife Crime Report 2024. According to the report, between 2015 and 2021, of the 1,652 mammal, amphibian, reptile and bird species seized globally, 40% were listed as Endangered or Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Of the seizure records for all species between 2015 and 2021, 4% were parrots and cockatoos, and 1% were birds of prey.

Akram says, "We've seen many cases where buyers from abroad order wildlife from our country. Live birds, reptiles, turtles, everything is smuggled. We also receive calls from airline officials about the seizure of live birds."

“When large consignments of birds are transported, the chances of them surviving are only 10-20%,” said Akram. “They are brought under conditions where there is no food, water, light or air. The birds are so traumatised that they die from the stress itself. Sometimes, even eggs are smuggled. The first time these birds open their eyes, they find themselves in a cage.”

The 2020 State of India's Birds Report states that the mortality rate of birds during smuggling can reach up to 90%.

Further, many seized birds die in inexperienced hands, during court hearings, or due to lack of proper care. For instance, says Singh, DFO in the Bihar Forest Department, after the raid at Mirshikar Toli, most of the birds seized had died. “We were very distressed. Until we received an order from the court to release them, we tried very hard to feed them, even called in experts, but they were under severe stress. We didn’t even have proper facilities to keep the birds.”

Alternative livelihoods for wildlife smugglers, more awareness in general public

H.V. Girisha, who has served as the Joint Director of the WCCB and is currently the Chief Conservator of Forests in the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, says, “We need to reduce the demand for pet birds from the public. Awareness is necessary for this.”

“Just as fishermen rely on fish for their livelihood, people traditionally involved in the bird trade depend on birds. This is why, despite enforcement actions, they are unable to completely abandon the trade,” says Arvinder Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) in the Bihar Forest Department. He says that the Bihar government or the Union government would have to provide alternative livelihoods in a comprehensive plan to stem wildlife trade.

If alternative livelihoods are ensured, young individuals could use their traditional knowledge for conservation instead of being involved in the bird trade.

Mohammad Bholu, a bird seller, said, "we have been doing this work for years and do not know any other trade. This is how we support our families. If the government offers us a job in a zoo or provides any alternative livelihood, we are willing to give it up.”

"Awareness about wildlife crimes has increased. Agencies like Customs, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, and the Border Security Force are more vigilant now. Wildlife trafficking is being monitored closely, just like drug and weapon smuggling. This is why the seizures of wildlife have increased,” said Akram. “However, these seizures are just the tip of the iceberg. Based on them, we can estimate the scale of these crimes, which are worth billions."

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