Assam Forest Department Busts Illegal Migratory Birds Racket
Assam forest department officials have seized about 16 migratory birds in captivity from remote Juria in Nagaon district. A youth has been arrested for hunting of these birds. Police believe that there is a huge racket involved behind catching and hunting of the birds. The hunters play these bird sounds in loud speakers to attract the birds and catch them using nets.
India is blessed with diverse landscapes and numerous water bodies that attract tens of thousands of migratory birds every year but in recent months there has been a slight spike in cases of poaching and capturing of migratory birds by miscreants. In a fresh episode reported by news agency IANS, the Assam forest department officials have seized about 16 migratory birds in captivity from remote Juria in Nagaon district and arrested a youth for hunting of these birds.
Police believe that there is a huge racket involved behind catching and hunting of these migratory birds that flock to Juria and some other areas of Assam during the winter season.
What shocked the forest officials is there is a huge clientele in and around the district, which gets these birds home delivered for meat for a price.
"Upon receiving information regarding hunting of migratory birds, a team from Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary was sent at night to some of the agriculture fields near Juria. Our team has recovered some microphones playing bird sound from these fields," said Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) of Nagaon Forest division, TC Ranjith.
"A search operation was carried out in the morning and we found around 16 number of Purple Moor hens and cages along with microphones, loud speakers, and nets left in the agriculture field," he said.
"The hunters play these bird sounds in loud speakers to attract the birds. When the birds land, they are caught using nets. All items were seized and search is on going to apprehend the hunters behind the act," Ranjith said.
The clients are connected to the hunters with mobile phones. "Once the birds are caught they inform this through mobile phone and fix a price. Once the price is fixed, it is delivered at the address. We are trying to get to the clients through the mobile numbers," he added.
This is not the only incident of its kind. Most memorably, 13 parrots, who were allegedly being smuggled out of India, were produced at New Delhi¡¯s Patiala House Court. The 13 parrots were caught at New Delhi¡¯s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday, October 15. They came to the attention of security officials while baggage were being scanned, and security personnel spotted graphics of birds inside shoeboxes in a bag.
