During a raid by police and forest officials on a bird and animal store in the citys Raopura area,as many as 80 birds,including of exotic species,cats and rabbits were rescued and handed over to an animal welfare organisation after its owner,Sajid Anwar Sheikh,who is also a murder suspect,fled leaving them locked up in a cage at his cramped shop without a caretaker. Sheikh is one of the 10 suspects named in the FIR filed in connection with the murder of an activist,Salim Masania,who was killed here late Friday night. The FIR was filed by Masanias daughter Khushra Sheikh. Anwar Sheikh has gone absconding along with his family members. The birds,among them peech-faced love birds,budgeriger,cockateil and a variety of pigeons such as white jacobin pigeons as well as fighter cock and hens of uncommon species,were found caged at Sheikhs shop in an undernourished and dehydrated condition. Among the animals that were rescued from the cage are 20 rabbits,a Persian cat and a black tabby cat with two kittens born a few days ago. The birds and animals were handed over to Vadodara Panjrapole Sansthan,an animal welfare organisation. Forest officials said they had conducted raids on Sheikhs store in the past too after information that he was selling exotic birds in violation of the Wildlife Act,though they found nothing incriminating against him. M R Gadhvi,the range forest officer in Vadodara,said no case has been filed against Sheikh by forest officials since keeping birds and animals that have been rescued from the store did not violate Wildlife Act. Animal rights activists,however,said they would lodge a complaint against Sheikh for illegal trading and keeping birds and animals in a poorly-maintained store,which was an offence under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960. The premises where they were stored does not look like one being used for business. The cage was covered with clothes that allowed little air. Cats are dehydrated and new-born kittens were on the verge of dying, activist Neha Patel said. Officials of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation said it was very unlikely that the shop had a proper licence.
