Berhampur: The Odisha Forest Department arrested a 35-year-old man after carcasses of 33 migratory birds were found in two gunny bags he was carrying near a water body under the Chilika Wildlife Division, police said Wednesday.
The 33 birds belonged to three different species.
The accused was identified as Pradeep Mallick of the Bhusandapur area. He was caught red-handed with dead birds in two gunny bags during patrolling, said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Chilika Wildlife Division, Amlan Nayak.
Another accused person involved in the poaching of birds in the lake, however, managed to flee from the spot. Search was on to arrest him, he said.
The seized carcasses of Northern Shoveller (9), Northern pintail (23) and a Pheasant-tailed jacan were found in his possession, the DFO said, adding that the birds come under the schedule category under the Wildlife Protection Act.
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“We have collected the tissue samples of the dead bird and sent them to a forensic laboratory for analysis. After conducting a post-mortem, the carcasses of the birds were buried,” he said
The DFO said the Forest Department has intensified patrolling across the lake area as migratory birds have started reaching Chilika Lake since the second week of October. Several lakhs of the migratory birds have descended on the lake during this winter, while their arrival is continuing, he said.
The official said that apart from round-the-clock patrolling, the Forest department has also engaged in collecting intelligence inputs on the poaching of birds in Chilika lake, spread over 1,165 square kilometres in three districts like Khurda, Ganjam and Puri. Special focus is given on the bird congregation places like Nalabana and Tangi range areas, the DFO said.
Nayak said the officials are also using drones to detect poaching activities, while 21 temporary anti-poaching camps have been set up in the lake to keep watch on such illegal activities.
