CHENNAI: As migratory birds start to descend on city lakes as part of their annual journey, an organised gang is on prowl hunting them for meat. Korattur lake, which was one of the three large water bodies refurbished by Water Resources Department recently, is attracting a good number of birds and is also turning into a den for poachers.
When Express visited the lake, three boys in their early 20s were found hunting large waterbirds. They were caught on camera hitting the birds with a stick and dragging them out holding the beak. They were not amateurs doing it for fun or for the first time. The way they were hunting the birds indicated they were habitual offenders. One could see multiple traps laid in the portion of the lake, where large colonies of birds usually congregate.
The poachers had successfully trapped three Pelicans, each of which would easily weigh 10 kg. One poacher broke the wing of a bird to prevent it from flying away. The other two birds were caught with bare hands. However, a few locals spotting the hunt raised an alarm forcing the poachers to leave their catch behind and flee on their two-wheeler.
Shanmugham, a local fisherman, acknowledged the fact that poaching happens regularly in Korattur lake from November to February. “Hunters are not locals. They usually set the traps at night and hunt early morning and at times in the afternoon,” he said and added that earlier Korattur lake used to be the breeding ground for some of these migratory bird species. However, of late they come here only for roosting. When Express brought the issue to the notice of Wildlife Warden CH Padma, she promised to send a team to look into the issue. Korattur lake has got a bund now with cement concrete blocks on the lines of Porur lake. Also, there is a walkers’ track around the lake.
Jayshree Vencatesan, managing trustee, Care Earth Trust, said nearly 40 bird species are recorded in Korattur lake, including Pelicans, Painted Stork, common Tailorbird, Asian Openbill Stork. “It’s one of hot spots for migratory birds and has to be protected. The forest department should initiate measures to curb poaching activity,” she said. Meanwhile, ecologist R Ramachandran, who is conducting a detailed study on bird poaching in coastal districts of TN, said that it was a well-organised gang and the trade is lucrative fetching a poacher at least `15,000 a month.
“We have completed two phases of our study and the results show 47 out of 53 species recorded in 27 lakes of Kancheepuram were hunted. During the peak migratory season, a minimum of 20,000 birds are hunted daily. Although illegal, hunting has increased in recent years and is driven by market demand. We studied 1,200 sq.km of lake area and interviewed 272 hunters,” he said.