Endangered bird found in Auroville home

PUDUCHERRY: Forest officials have traced a 'Great Indian Hornbill', an endangered species of bird, to the house of a German national in Auroville, an official said.

Instructions have been issued to department staff to seize the female bird under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, a senior official of the Forest Department at Villupuram in neighbouring Tamil Nadu said.

The official said the German National Thomas was allegedly keeping the bird in his home for nearly 12 years.On a tip-off the forest department officials traced the bird to the German national's house yesterday.

A special cage was being got ready to take the bird to Vandalur zoo in Chennai.

The bird is listed under schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act and keeping it without valid permission was violative of the Act, he said.

'The bird measures nearly 150 cms in height and its wings are so broad that it had got to be handled carefully.The bird���s beak is also too long. Such types of birds will normally be seen in Western Ghats and they are delicate���,'he said.

Auroville is outside the jurisdiction of Puducherry, a forest department official here said.