Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park in Ormanjhi is currently nurturing 420 parrots that were rescued from an SUV during a vehicle checking drive in Latehar on April 7.

The birds, which were found crammed in eight cages, were brought to the zoo on Monday night and since then efforts are underway to nurse them back to health and free them when they are ready to fly.

According to zoo vet Dr Ajay Kumar, nearly two dozen parrots had died in Latehar because of suffocation and lack of water.

“Some are just 4-5 days old and too fragile. Around 250 birds are yet to develop feathers. It is hard for them to fend for themselves. Each parrot is being fed through mouth by our staff. They have to devote five minutes to each bird. Our staff are handling the parrots in the most gentle way possible,” Kumar said.

Sources said the winged guests wouldn’t be held captive and could fly away once they regained their health.

Shedding light on the diet, the zoo vet said the parrots were being fed glucose, sattu and multi-vitamins.

“The adult ones are having their food themselves. The infants and the sick are being handfed,” he added.

Ajay said the birds had been quarantined and a natural ambience had been created to make the parrots feel at home.

Palamau’s regional chief conservator of forest Dr Mohan Lal confirmed the rescue on Wednesday.

“The parrots were stuffed in eight small cages,” he said.

The SUV carrying the parrots was intercepted during a vehicle checking drive by Latehar police who promptly informed the matter to the officials of the forest division.

According to Latehar DFO Ved Prakash, the car was seized and four persons were remanded in judicial custody. They have been charged under the sections of Wildlife Protection Act

“These parrots were caught somewhere in Garhwa. They accused had planned to take them to Bengal, but got caught in Latehar,” the DFO said.

He, however, couldn’t name the four persons.

Sources said bird smuggling was common in Palamau, Garhwa and Latehar.

Larks are one of the most common birds that fall prey to the smugglers.

Former deputy director of Palamau Tiger Reserve Anil K. Mishra said larks, which migrate to the three districts from Tibet during winter, were killed and cooked as it was believed that their meat helped keep the body warm.

Mishra is credited with rescuing a large number of parrots and larks in his over five-year stint at PTR.