Eagle-eyed forest department officials nab bird poachers

An official from the department said these birds were killed for their meat by two men from a tribal community. “The anti-poaching team from the headquarters had been patrolling the areas on East Coast Road, which is home to many species of birds. “At five in the morning, we heard the echo of guns being fired in a nearby lake. When we followed the sound, we came across three people who were in the process of putting these birds in a bag. While we were trying to nab the offenders, one got away. The two poachers were presented before the Wildlife Warden and let off after paying a fine,” said the official. 

Dr P Balasubramanian, principal scientist, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, said due to strict vigilance, the number of poaching cases have come down in a major way. “Except for crows, all the other birds have been included under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Because of this, efforts have been taken by the Forest department to curb poaching of these birds. As a result, the number of poaching cases have reduced,” he added. 

Dr S Balachandran, Deputy Director, Bombay Natural History Society, said poaching can have an adverse impact, in the case of rare migratory birds. “If you look at local species like little egrets or little cormorants, their population won’t be affected drastically. In fact, the population of little egrets is stable, while in the case of little cormorants, it is growing rapidly. These are local species which can survive well in our conditions. However, in case of a rare migratory bird, which is coming from other countries, poaching or killing them will alter the lifecycle. But this doesn’t mean that killing of the birds should be encouraged,” said the scientist.