An exotic affair

A unique group of animal lovers and hobbyists called Sanjeevan is hosting an exotic bird and fish exhibition for the first time in the city.

The group is quite concerned about the lack of authentic knowledge in pet keeping, pet husbandry and captive breeding in India. The objective of this show will be to encourage the hobby of pet keeping. They believe it can really be helpful in preserving species on the verge of extinction.  

Mufaddal T Tambawala, a member of the group and a Mumbai-based businessman, is very passionate about birds. He has preserved some rare species of exotic birds by selective breeding and mutation at his home.

“I am a law abiding citizen and I follow my passion very much within the boundaries of the law. However, there is so much confusion about legalities of owning a bird as a pet that people are quite afraid to take it up as a hobby. Hopefully, we will be disseminating all the confusion though this awareness programme,” he says.

King Parrot, Blue Burnet, Princess of Whales and Crimson wings are among the few species of birds that Tambawala has.  

Another hobbyist, Christopher Liang, an architect by profession, believes that keeping a bird in a cage is not at all restricting its freedom. “Keeping a bird in cages of adequate size is actually like keeping a dog in your apartment. The exotic birds get hunted down by poachers in the wild and in the city. By breeding them in captivity we are at least preserving them for the future. I hope if the government could understand this point, as our Indian tigers would have been far from being an endangered species,” he remarks.  

Sanjeevan is a group of atleast 400 members across India. All the care and know-how that is needed for adopting a bird or a fish as a pet will be available at this exhibition.  

Catch The Exotic Bird and Fish show from January 22-24 at Mumbai Education Trust Complex (MET), opposite Lilavati Hospital, Bandra Reclamation.