Let Them Fly Free

The animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has issues a fresh advisory to all states and Union territories of India to ensure a strict ban on keeping the aerial birds in cages and confinements.

The advisory was issued followed by an appeal by People for the Treatment of Animals (PETA). The board’s advisory is based on the judgment passed by the Gujarat High Court and an order of the Delhi High Court recognizing that birds have the fundamental right to fly and caging them should not be permitted. AWBI also quoted the 2014 judgment of the Supreme Court recognizing that animals have fundamental rights, including the right to live with dignity in its advisory.

The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, also bans the capture, caging, and trading of various indigenous birds and non-compliance can lead to imprisonment for up to 3 years, a fine of up to Rs 25,000, or both.