UNB, Bhola :
Hunting migratory birds using chemical poisons has become rampant across the coastal wetlands of the district in recent years, and the hunters do not have to bother much about selling those poisoned dead games in broad daylight. The Meghna estuary as well as more than 50 remote chars, including Majhir Char, Madanpur, Medua, Nemayetpur char, Tarua of Char Fashion, Kukri-Mukri, Dhalchar and Charpalita, of the district have been the wintering ground for various species of migratory birds traveling from faraway northern regions of the globe.
But, the guests are not being provided with a safe home as bird hunters have taken up an easier method to kill by turn making crop fields into a poison trap by spraying chemicals.
The birds get infected with the poison while foraging the crop fields during low tides, and later the hunters collect them dead in numbers, according to locals. Jamal Majhi of Daulatkhan in Shaheb Mor area told the UNB correspondent that 20-25 people have been involved in hunting the birds using poison along the Meghna estuary in the area.
The hunters spray chemical poisons on paddy fields while laying netted traps that ensure a larger catch, he explained, while many birds that manage to take off after getting infected with the poison eventually die after some time and fall in the river some distance away. Every day, numerous corpses of birds can be seed afloat in the river, he added. But it is not only the hunters who are responsible for this onslaught, the locals are also in the habit of consuming the dead birds and are ready to pay Tk 500-600 a piece, not having been much concerned over the impact of eating the poisoned kills. Doctor Rathindranath Majumber, civil surgeon of Bhola, said that
the poison that is being used for killing the birds is also harmful to human body.
Shamsul Alam Mithu, general secretary of Bhola Press Club, noted that for lack of concern and surveillance by the authorities, the bird hunting is on the rise in the recent years. The locals also think that the authorities should take effective measures to protect the onslaught of migratory birds to protect the biodiversity of the area.
Lt Najiur Rahman, operation officer of the BholaCoast guard (South Zone), said they have already alerted all the coast guard stations to be watchful of the bird poachers and take strong action against them.
Hunting migratory birds using chemical poisons has become rampant across the coastal wetlands of the district in recent years, and the hunters do not have to bother much about selling those poisoned dead games in broad daylight. The Meghna estuary as well as more than 50 remote chars, including Majhir Char, Madanpur, Medua, Nemayetpur char, Tarua of Char Fashion, Kukri-Mukri, Dhalchar and Charpalita, of the district have been the wintering ground for various species of migratory birds traveling from faraway northern regions of the globe.
But, the guests are not being provided with a safe home as bird hunters have taken up an easier method to kill by turn making crop fields into a poison trap by spraying chemicals.
The birds get infected with the poison while foraging the crop fields during low tides, and later the hunters collect them dead in numbers, according to locals. Jamal Majhi of Daulatkhan in Shaheb Mor area told the UNB correspondent that 20-25 people have been involved in hunting the birds using poison along the Meghna estuary in the area.
The hunters spray chemical poisons on paddy fields while laying netted traps that ensure a larger catch, he explained, while many birds that manage to take off after getting infected with the poison eventually die after some time and fall in the river some distance away. Every day, numerous corpses of birds can be seed afloat in the river, he added. But it is not only the hunters who are responsible for this onslaught, the locals are also in the habit of consuming the dead birds and are ready to pay Tk 500-600 a piece, not having been much concerned over the impact of eating the poisoned kills. Doctor Rathindranath Majumber, civil surgeon of Bhola, said that
the poison that is being used for killing the birds is also harmful to human body.
Shamsul Alam Mithu, general secretary of Bhola Press Club, noted that for lack of concern and surveillance by the authorities, the bird hunting is on the rise in the recent years. The locals also think that the authorities should take effective measures to protect the onslaught of migratory birds to protect the biodiversity of the area.
Lt Najiur Rahman, operation officer of the BholaCoast guard (South Zone), said they have already alerted all the coast guard stations to be watchful of the bird poachers and take strong action against them.
