MAYILADUTHURAI: Poaching of indigenous birds is on the rise in the coastal delta region and several cases have registered in last ten days. The Forest Department is sensitising locals to the importance of conserving and protecting wildlife.
Birds such as cranes and cuckoos have been the target of poachers. On Sunday, two youths from Narikurava community -- L Ravi and S Sarath -- from Puthur village near Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai district were apprehended by the forest officials for hunting cranes. On October 14, a local set trap to hunt down cuckoo birds in Vizhunthamavadi village near Kilvelur in Nagapattinam district. He was arrested. On October 16, two youths -- Sathyaselvan and Balachandran -- of Sathiyathidal village near Tharangambadi were arrested for hunting cranes.
Similarly, on October 18, one M Porselvan from Vairavankadu, who hunt cuckoo birds in a coconut groove near Kameshwaram, was arrested.
The months from October to February are ideal for theses indigenous and migratory birds as the State receives monsoon. Due to increased availability of water in wet lands, the birds visit the places.
Yogesh Kumar Meena, Nagapattinam District Forest Officer, said, "We have instructed our teams in the ranges of Sirkazhi, Nagapattinam, and Vedaranyam to keep a close watch on poaching activities for the next few weeks. We have also increased vigilance and awareness in villages surrounding Point Calimere Wildlife and Birds Sanctuary, the largest complex of wetlands in the central districts."
Officials said that villages that are distant from Kodiyakarai such as Thanikottagam, Kariyapattinam, Piranthiyankarai, Moolakarai, Vadapathi and Thenpathi are also being sensitised. "We have directed our teams to create awareness on protecting indigenous birds in rural and interior places near Kodiyakarai, where poaching happens frequently," said an official from the Forest Department. Offenders are booked under the Wildlife Protection Act.