Bollywood's most popular couple - Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai - has been approached by the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to create awareness about the plight of lovebirds through a special photo shoot.

"As India's most famous 'lovebirds', we believe that you are uniquely suited to help bring attention to the plight of these smart and sensitive birds. We would like to arrange a photo shoot with you for a 'Love Birds in Cages' ad to raise awareness about the issue," Anuradha Sawhney, PETA India chief functionary, wrote in her letter to Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan. 

Lovebirds belong to the parrot family and are the most commonly sold birds for domestic and display caging. This is a punishable offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960. 

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species restricts trading in foreign birds. 

But there are about 300 black markets in India those sell about 1200 bird species.