Standing tall, his sculpted body silhouetted against the blue sky, model-turned-actor John Abraham holds an empty birdcage, asking for independence for caged birds this week. John Abraham has always been among the first to stand up for the rights of animals, whatever it takes – whether that means reprimanding an errant tonga-wallah for whipping his overloaded horse or stuffing himself into a birdcage to pose for a PETA ad. The ad was shot by John’s brother, animal-friendly photographer Alan Abraham.

The ad is part of PETA’s international campaign to raise awareness of the cruelty that is involved in the capturing, breeding and caging of wild birds. Captured birds go from a life of flying free, raising their families and enjoying life in the treetops of their jungle homes to a life of confinement in small pet-shop cages. Although Britain does not allow its own wild birds to be part of the international pet trade, British pet shops sell species that have been imported from other continents. Around 88 per cent of parrots, parakeets, lovebirds and related species – some 23,920 individuals – imported into the UK between 1995 and 2000 were caught from the wild. According to one report, the UK imports a greater proportion of birds for the pet trade than the rest of Europe combined.

India is home to some 1,200 different species of birds. The Indian Wildlife Act bans the trade and trapping of indigenous birds, and the trade of foreign birds is restricted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Caging and displaying parrots and parakeets is illegal and punishable by a fine and up to five years in prison. Despite this, bird markets flourish openly in many places in India and poachers continue to smuggle birds out of the country.

Both hand-raised and wild-caught birds often become neurotic when caged, pulling out feathers and mutilating themselves, sometimes to the point of death. When ready to breed, many species naturally pluck some feathers to prepare for nest-building and egg-sitting, but when humans interfere with their natural behaviour and disrupt biological and instinctual cycles by imprisoning birds, plucking becomes a destructive compulsion.

“Birds aren’t meant to learn silly human words or swing in a cage. They are supposed to roam free in the skies and sing songs for each other”, says John.

For more information, go to PETAIndia.com.