Berhampur: Odisha Forest department sleuths arrested an elderly person for allegedly killing migratory birds near Chilika Lake in Khurda district, officials said Saturday.
Carcass of two migratory birds, including northern pintail and white-breasted water hen, both scheduled II birds under the wildlife protection Act 1972, were found from the possession of the accused person.
The poacher identified as Arjuna Ghadei (75) of Balinashi was caught red-handed by wildlife personnel while he was collecting the bird carcasses after poisoning to kill the winged guests, said Amlan Nayak, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Chilika wildlife division.
He was carrying the dead birds in a bag. One handmade spear and 15 pieces of stigmas of lily flower ingested with poison along with the dead birds, were seized from him, he said, adding that the anti-poaching squad detected the incident during their early morning patrolling at Balinashi near Kalupada.
After conducting a post-mortem, the carcasses of the birds were buried. The tissue of the dead birds would be sent to forensic laboratory for toxicology analysis, said the DFO.
Also Read: Anti-poaching camps set up near Chilika Lake ahead of migratory birds’ arrival
It was the second incident of bird poaching in the lake in the last 15 days. Wildlife officials had recovered two carcasses of Indian spot-billed ducks from Pani Juar, near Mangalajodi in the lake November 23. They, however, could not arrest any poacher, as the miscreants fled from the spot, sources said.
Earlier, wildlife officials had arrested 16 persons, most of them fishermen with their boats for their alleged illegal entry into Nalabana, a wildlife sanctuary area inside the lake.
Several lakhs of migratory birds have already descended in the lake during this winter.
To curb poaching of migratory birds, patrolling was intensified round the clock in the area. Special emphasis was given to vulnerable areas like Nalabana, the bird sanctuary and Tangi range areas, said DFO.
He said they have also utilized drones in the lake to detect the poaching activities, while 21 temporary anti-poaching camps have been set up in the lake to keep watch on poaching.
The Chilika Wildlife Division was continuing its zero-tolerance mode on poaching, added DFO.
Migratory birds, mostly from beyond the Himalayas in Northern Eurasia, Caspian region, Siberia, Kazakh, Lake Baikal and the remote areas of Russia and neighbouring countries visit the Chilika every winter and start their homeward journey before the onset of summer in the second week of March.
PTI
