Team of alert BSPCA officials save turtles, owls, parakeets, squirrels and a cuckoo, moments before they could suffocate in the bag that they were tied in

A group of Singapore turtles, barn owls, parakeets, squirrels and a cuckoo felt some love and got a second chance yesterday after they were rescued by alert officials of The Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA). Around 12.30 pm yesterday, a special squad headed by Manohar Jadhav and his team attached to the BSPCA thwarted a plan to smuggle the animals into the city. The alert officials got suspicious when they spotted four abandoned bags lying between two shops near Crawford Market.


Saved at last: Officials gave the parrots and squirrels some water and
food after they were found at Crawford Market abandoned. Pic/Shadab
Khan

"We inquired around the area and also asked the shopkeepers about the bags. When no one claimed to know whom the bags belonged to we decided to open them and check. We were surprised to find 47 Singaporean turtles, three barn owls, eight squirrels, eleven parakeets and a cuckoo in the bags," said Jadhav. Jadhav elaborated that the species were squeezed into small nylon bags and were almost suffocated inside the bags.

"When we opened the bags, the birds and animals also felt much at ease and had we not reached on time and taken action, they would have surely died of suffocation," he added. The rescued birds and animals were given water and food following which a formal complaint was made against unknown people at MRA Marg police station for violation of Section 11 (A to E) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act.

According to Col (Retd) J C Khanna, secretary of the BSPCA, selling of squirrels and birds has been a regular feature at Crawford Market for a while now. "It seems that the rescued animals were being smuggled into the city for illegal trade. Had our team not carried out the exercise, they would have been sold under unhygienic conditions." Khanna also added that the rescued birds and animals would remain in the custody of the BSPCA, according to norms and would be handed over to the Wildlife authorities a week later.