RAWW

Mitthu's love ♥️🦜

Ever wondered why your “Mitthu” is always so friendly? Why it is so eager to sit on your shoulder, kiss you, follow you around, and beg you for food?

This is how.

They are stolen from their nests before they even learn what freedom is.

They are packed into boxes and passed through multiple hands.

They are kept in darkness for days so the sky becomes something they never fully know. That is why captive birds don't choose to fly.

They are kept hungry for days, not as punishment but as strategy, so the same hand that starves them becomes the one they learn to trust. The bird associates the human hand with food. That's why your mitthu runs behind you. Begging for food.

They are handled again and again despite their fear, until resistance fades and stillness starts to look like affection.

Their wings are clipped, their movement is controlled, and their choices are taken away. The bird doesn't fly not because it cannot but because it doesn't know the power of wings.

This is not just cute training. This is conditioning.

At this point, it is not about breaking the body, but about breaking instinct, crushing the souls, rewriting what “safe” feels like for a wild bird.

Because in the wild, these are not “friendly” animals. Parakeets have strong, powerful beaks and fierce flock instincts. When threatened, they defend themselves, bite hard, and survive in a world that does not make space for weakness.

So when they cling to you, when they nuzzle, when they seem to “love” you, remember that dependence can look a lot like affection. Where abuse is the new form of acceptable love. Because you paid a price for it. And the bird did too.

These roughly 58 parakeets were seized by the Forest Department in Mumbai and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and handed over to our team for rehab.

Funny (read sad) part is not a single bird wanted to experience a life outside cage. They huddled together, one attacked to save another. But none demanded to be out of the cage. Because that is how abuse disguised as love looks like.

More disturbing updates coming in from Thane.

Within just two days of rescuing the severely injured macaque that had been shot with an arrow, we have now been alerted to at least two more similar cases, all from Yeoor where the first animal was found.

The second macaque was reported from the Rambagh area. Our team assisted the Thane Forest Department in locating the animal, which was eventually spotted over 30 feet high on the tree, visibly distressed and jumping from branch to branch. During this movement, the arrow lodged across its body dislodged and fell. The animal, however, managed to escape at that time.

While this operation was still underway, we received yet another call from nearby Shivay Nagar, where locals reported spotting a third macaque in a similar condition. Unfortunately, despite efforts, this individual could not be traced.

The second macaque was later successfully rescued by the Forest Department. The recovered arrow has been handed over to officials for further investigation.

The first rescued macaque is now stable and showing encouraging signs of recovery but prognosis is still guarded. A detailed update on its condition will be shared soon.

Bonnet macaques are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the highest level of legal protection in India, on par with species like tigers and elephants.

Following the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022, penalties for offences involving Schedule I species have been significantly strengthened. Any act causing harm, injury, or death whether direct or indirect can invite strict legal action, including imprisonment.

3ft metal arrow pierces through macaque, alive but critical

An emergency evacuation rescue was carried out early this morning by our team in Thane’s Yeoor area after a young macaque was found with a steel arrow lodged completely through its body.

The animal was in acute distress, perched on a lower branch minutes before the rescue, indicating exhaustion and reduced mobility.

As per inputs from local residents and police, the injured macaque had first been spotted 3 to 4 days ago in this condition but managed to evade capture each time. It was finally located early today by our team enabling them to conduct a controlled and safe evacuation.

Prima facie, the nature of the injury is consistent with either a poaching attempt or a deliberate act intended to deter wildlife movement in the area.

An emergency surgical intervention was carried out by Dr. Priti Sathe and her veterinary team. The approximately 3ft heavy metal arrow was successfully extracted out of the sub-adulr mammal's body. However, the animal remains critical due to significant blood loss sustained over the past few days.

The Forest Department and local police are currently investigating the matter.

Bonnet macaques fall under Schedule I protection of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972- the highest level of legal protection in the country, on par with species such as tigers and elephants.

Following the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022, penalties for offences involving Schedule I species have been further strengthened, and any act causing harm, injury, or death, directly or indirectly, can attract stringent punishment, including imprisonment.

The incident also brings attention to activities in and around the Yeoor range of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Despite being a protected forest, there continue to be observations of unregulated establishments and activities such as archery and horse riding activities within eco-sensitive zones.

We are closely monitoring the macaque’s condition and will keep everyone updated.

Traffic. Dogs. And. A Nilgai.

Hello. Hello. Our second vlog is out! Check the tube now.

In this video you will meet our dearest Power, a rescued indie who has slowly promoted himself to unofficial protector of our transit centre, and Archer, one of our guard dogs who takes keeping watch very and we mean very seriously (iykyk).

Follow our team members Kunal Thakkar and Ritik Jaiswal through what most of our days look like: navigating Mumbai traffic to reach the transit centre, checking on the animals currently under care and planning their release back into the wild.

There is also a very brief guest appearance by a rescued chotu nilgai who clearly had other plans for the day.

For those who often ask what a typical day in wildlife rescue looks like, here is a small glimpse.

The full vlog is now live on YouTube. Link in bio. Do watch.