Mumbai bird rescue: 282 survivors handed to Raigad sanctuary, probe continues

Mumbai, 26th August 2026: A Mumbai court has granted interim custody of 282 surviving birds to Raigad-based Kalote Animal Trust after a 32-hour train journey from Howrah left dozens dead and sparked outrage over conditions in the pet trade. The order by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (35th Court, CSMT) came after PETA India moved the court seeking custody of the rescued birds and opposed attempts by the accused to get them back.

The birds: mainly budgerigars, finches and cockatiels, were found packed into seven cages in the parcel compartment of the Geetanjali Express when it reached CSMT shortly after midnight on September 8. PETA India said around 2,100 birds had been transported for more than 32 hours in overcrowded cages with inadequate ventilation and care. After a complaint by the group, Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force officials intercepted the consignment at CSMT.

Initially, the birds were released to the consignees, who run a pet shop in Kurla. Following intervention by senior police officials, the CSMT Railway Police registered an FIR and raided the shop, recovering 337 birds. Of these, 55 died while in hospice care; post-mortems were conducted on the dead birds. The FIR was registered under Sections 62 and 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

Applying the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017, the court rejected applications by the accused seeking return of the birds and handed interim custody of all surviving birds to Kalote Animal Trust, an animal sanctuary in Raigad district. PETA India is also seeking the recovery of birds that remain unaccounted for and has written to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Zone, GRP Mumbai, urging faster action.

“Birds are highly intelligent, social animals who belong in the open skies, not confined to cramped cages and transported like cargo,” said Saloni Sakaria, Associate Manager, Cruelty Response, PETA India. The case has drawn attention to how birds are moved for the pet trade, with welfare groups flagging overcrowding, poor ventilation and prolonged confinement as major concerns.