Following the recent series of seizures of exotic birds and animals by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), wildlife activists have highlighted how, despite being a hub of exotic pet trade, the Maximum City doesn't have a facility for their transit, rehabilitation and treatment after the rescue. Around 250 exotic birds and some mammals are currently housed by the Thane territorial forest division in temporary arrangements made at their Thane office. They are cared for by volunteers from the NGO Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and the Thane Society for Prevention of Cruelty towards Animals (SPCA). According to volunteers, birds such as cockatoos, macaws, Burmese and African parrots, cockatiels and rosella's are kept in what cages are available. The range of exotic mammals includes a vervet monkey, an endangered black-and-white ruffed lemur, two wildcats and some red-eared slider turtles. "As we have access to volunteers as well as veterinarians, we knew we could take care of these animals who had undergone severe trauma, and took their custody. Our team made quick arrangements for cages to keep them," said Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF), Thane. Pawan Sharma, Wildlife Warden (Thane) and RAWW president, said that initially, they had no clue how to care for these exotic species and enlisted experts and vets as soon as they were brought in. "Most of these were stuffed into cages for transport and storage, and were kept in horrible conditions," he said. "Since the forest department doesn't have a proper facility for rehabilitation, we made makeshift arrangements in a few rooms near the office and kept them in slightly roomier and cleaner cages." He hopes that they will survive. Sharma bemoaned that though Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai are the hubs of exotic pet trade, there isn't a facility to keep rescued or abandoned exotic animals. "Municipal Corporations give out licences to pet shops selling exotic animals," said Sharma, "So civic bodies also have to take the responsibility and create a spacious centre catering to their specific needs, including a quarantine facility. This could be inside the Byculla or in the newly proposed Aarey Zoo. It can manage these facilities with the help of its own veterinary staff, aided by wildlife rescue organisations." He rues that the forest department is constantly expected to be the custodian and caretaker of rescued exotic animals. Wildlife Veterinarian Dr Rina Dev, who specialises in exotic animals and birds, talks about their special needs. "They have different diets, need different enclosures and enrichment," she said. "Unfortunately, we do not have any such facility in the city if they are seized in high numbers." Dev adds that many exotic birds are prone to stress and may not survive it. Furthermore, their future depends completely on the court's directive. "If the order asks for them to be handed over to their owners, we will have to adhere to it. But we do not know when will there be an order and what to do if there is no such order," said a senior forest official. Pass The Duck

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