MP Santosh Kumar
Rama Krishna Sangem
BRS Rajya Sabha MP J Santosh Kumar’s photos of birds of this Sunday, March 26, call for keeping the avian free. Not in cages or something to be traded. As part of his Sunday Photography of nature and wildlife, the young MP tweeted four of his pics of jungle parrots (some call them Hill mynas). The birds look like parrots in colour – green and grey bodies and long reddish beak. But most of our parrots are with curly red noses.
We at Excel India generally consult some bird watchers in Hyderabad to know the zoological details of the birds tweeted by the MP. Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes wrong too. (better we have some experts who can guide us on this, besides encouraging anyone who takes to photography of these birds). We know, MP Santosh is the founder-leader of Green India Challenge (GIC) five years ago.
Sanotsh juggles his time between political and environmental priorities. His weekly weekly photography of nature and birds is meant to encourage youth and children to save nature. Using his Nikon 850 camera, the parliamentarian shoots at the birds in their natural habitat, mostly on trees. “This is a message we get, it is our responsibility to see the birds not kept in cages but be left free,” said Bhaskar, an educationist.
Birds trade, a menace
Birds face a major threat from the trade, that mostly runs illegally. Any colourful or beautiful birds are often kept in cages and treated as pets. Birdwatchers of Hyderabad are of the view that any flying bird should not be kept captive. “Feed them, if you want, but not cage them. They have wings, let them fly,” said Geeta Pillai, a bird watcher from Jubilee Hills.
There are cartels which trade in the name of exotic birds. Even if these birds are raised in confinement, that’s cruel. What true bird lovers can do is to stop shopping for exotic birds, said a pet dogs shop owner from Himayatnagar, who declined to be named. We at Excel India encourage our students to take more pics of commonly sighted birds in and around Hyderabad and share with their friends.
