Pune Forest Department Cracks Down on Illegal Trafficking of Alexandrine Parakeets; Six Birds Rescued, Three ArrestedÂ
Pune Forest Department Cracks Down on Illegal Trafficking of Alexandrine Parakeets; Six Birds Rescued, Three Arrested ( Representative Image )
Pune, January 12, 2026: Based on confidential information received on January 11, 2026, the Pune Forest Department conducted a major operation against wildlife traffickers involved in the illegal trade of Alexandrine Parakeets (Pahadi Parrot) and Rose-Ringed Parakeets.
Under the guidance of Ashish Thackeray, Conservator of Forests (Pune), Mahadev Mohite, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Pune), Amol Thorat, Divisional Forest Officer, and Vishal Chavan, Assistant Conservator of Forests (Pune), a planned joint team comprising Range Forest Officers Rishikesh Chavan and Suresh Varak, forest staff, and DRI officials carried out raids in Shantinagar, Laxminagar, and Tingrenagar areas of Yerwada, Pune city.
During the operation, five Alexandrine Parakeets and one indigenous Rose-Ringed Parakeet were found alive, being illegally kept and traded without any valid permit. All six birds were immediately seized. A total of three accused persons were taken into custody, and a forest offence has been registered against them under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Further investigation is currently underway.
The seized six parakeets belong to rare and protected species listed under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Possession, sale, or purchase of these native and hill parakeet species constitutes a punishable forest offence under the Act. Accordingly, forest offence cases have been registered against all three accused, and further inquiry is in progress.
The Forest Department has appealed to citizens to report any information related to wildlife or bird trafficking by contacting the Forest Department’s toll-free helpline number 1926.
This operation was carried out under the guidance of senior forest officials and led by Range Forest Officers Rishikesh Chavan and Suresh Varak. The team included SIO Mrs. Vrinda Sinha, Mr. Kaushal Sharma, Forester Pramod Raskar, Forest Guards Manoj Parkhe, Anil Rathod, Ankush Kachare, Shriram Jagtap, Ulhas More, Krishna Hake, women forest guards Maithili Gurav, Priya Aaken, Priya Wakde, and Amol Mote, among others.
