One cage to the other: The birds. Telegraph picture

Krishnagar (Nadia), Jan. 8: The BSF intercepted 43 exotic birds early on Tuesday morning when they were being smuggled to Bangladesh.

The birds, all of American species, would have fetched at least Rs 5 lakh in the illegal bird market, BSF officials said. Among the seized aves were two macaws, native to only South America, and parrots and cockatoos.

The birds, handed over to the forest department officials here, were sent to the Alipore Zoo in Calcutta today.

Four persons were challenged by jawans guarding the Gongra border in Nadia, about 140 km from Calcutta, before dawn on Tuesday.

“It was very cold and three of our guards at Gongra were inside their tent close to the Indo-Bangla border. Suddenly, they heard the fluttering of feathers. They rushed out and saw a group trying to cross the border with big bags,” said Mridul Sonowal, a BSF officer.

As the jawans chased the gang, the men fled into Bangladesh but left the bags behind. They were full of cages with the colourful birds inside.

“Preliminary investigations suggest these foreign birds were smuggled into the country and were being smuggled out,” said chief conservator of forest Atanu Raha.

He ruled out the possibility that the birds might have migrated to the state. “Only the climate in Latin America suits macaws. The same is applicable to the green-white parrots, which can only be seen in the cooler climes of Latin America,” he added.