KANPUR: With Avian visitors as far as from Turkey, Russia, China, Central Asia and Siberia flocking the region, poachers too are back in action if the recent breakthrough by Special Task Force (STF) is any indication. Two poachers from Unnao and Lucknow were nabbed and rare birds, including four Demoiselle Cranes and 160 Spotted 'Munia' recovered from their possession.
Arvind Chaturvedi, deputy superintendent of police, STF, who headed the operation on the instructions of SSP, STF, Vijay Prakash, said the sleuths nabbed Mohammad Amir from Krishna Nagar, Lucknow, and Mohammad Farid from Unnao district.
What shocked the police was that the legs of Demoiselle birds were tied and their heads covered with a piece of cloth. "The important thing here is that this is an act of cruelty against birds," he said.
During interrogation, Amir, a native of Patna, Bihar revealed that they were members of an international gang of smugglers with their counterparts active in countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and as far as Saudi Arabia in Middle East. "It was also learnt that the birds were smuggled into those countries through cargo-flights mainly from Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Patna airports," he added.
Earlier, the locals used to kill these rare birds but now they have started restraining themselves from such illegal activities as a result of awareness campaigns launched by forest and wildlife authorities and NGOs. "But with high demand of rare avians in Gulf countries besides Bangladesh and Pakistan, a few have taken up poaching again. There is a very big and well polished network active here in the state," added Chaturvedi.
"Mohd Amir and Haji Mohammad Farid are very notorious names in the poaching world. On the basis of a tip-off, we are now trying to zero-in on other members of the gang active in Lucknow, Kanpur, Unnao and Barabanki," said SSP, STF, Vijay Prakash. He also informed that Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Farid had been in the illegal trade for the past six years.
"Amir disclosed that he was on his way to Kolkata via Patna to handover the consignment to smugglers, who are in touch with exotic bird lovers in foreign countries. Birds like golden pheasant, silver pheasant, lady amherst, macaw, surkhab, behri, bajri, kakatua and naqabposh, which come under endangered category and protected under various schedules of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, are very much in demand in foreign countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia," he said.
Chaturvedi further told TOI: "We had kept a regular watch on the activities of Mohd Farid, who is a native of Talib Sarai locality in Unnao and Mohd Amir alias Raju, a native of Meer Shikar Toli in Alamganj in Patna, Bihar. The consignment of four Demoiselle Cranes and 160 spotted 'Munia' were packed in small jute bags.
Only recently, a patrolling team of ninth battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) arrested a person poaching the birds at Baghel lake in Shravasti district and recovered nine Siberian birds from his bag including, eight 'Patera' and a 'Lalsar'.
Dr Rajiv Chauhan, secretary general, Society for Conservation of Nature, said there was no dearth of opportunity for such illegal traders as the region was full of sanctuaries, wetlands and other waterbodies that attracted flocks of migratory birds, especially with the start of winter season. "The region boasts of Saman bird sanctuary in Mainpuri, Patna bird sanctuary in Etah, Sur Sarovar in Agra, National Chambal sanctuary in Etawah, Lakh Bahosi in Kannauj, Sandi Bird sanctuary in Hardoi, Nawabganj bird sanctuary in Unnao, Sohelwa sanctuary in Shrwasti district and Samaspur bird sanctuary in Rae Bareli besides wetlands surrounding the region had become the winter home for migratory birds that had taken up the waterbody as their roosting or breeding ground. Among the winged guests, only Demoiselle Crane breeds during migration period," he added.
Girja, a local who stayed near National Chambal sanctuary, said: "A number of birds, including Bar-Headed Geese, has become rare in the region because of poaching. Earlier, 60 to 70 species of birds were noticed in the region, but now their number has reduced." The birds start arriving in the region in October and stay here till late February.
"Besides Indian birds, exotic birds which migrate from other countries are covered under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which entails fine and maximum punishment up to seven years, informed," B K Patnaik, principal chief conservator of forest.
"An alert has been sounded across the state. We have constituted special teams comprising forest and wildlife department officials to conduct raids in the habitat of migratory birds to save the entire ecological system from being damaged," he added.
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