Post: Dr. Raju Kasambe Tamil Nadu Egrets served as dish in ECR - TopicsExpress

Post: Dr. Raju Kasambe Tamil Nadu Egrets served as dish in ECR hotels DC | S. Prasad | 29th Oct 2013 Cuddalore: Poaching of migratory bi­r­ds continues unabated in the co­astal hamlets of Cuddalore district des­pite stringent warnings by the Tamil Nadu forest department against their kill­ing. Thousands of migratory birds, especially Indian pond he­rons and egrets, migrate during the breeding season (Oc­to­b­er to February) and half get trapped and served as meat in bars and hotels on the Cuddalore-Puducherry Road. Arjunan Ilayaraja, secretary of the Cuddalore-based NGO, Aalamaram, said that Indian pond herons and egrets are most commonly found in vast tracts of paddy fields from Bahoor in Puducherry to Nochikadu, Thyagavalli, Alappakkam and Killai in Cuddalore district on the East Coast Road during the nesting season. ”The modus operandi of the poachers is to trap one or two birds and sti­t­ch their eyes and tie the birds to the fishing net, which is laid out on paddy fields. The flapping of the wings of the suffering birds attracts other birds that are flying above who descend innocently and are trapped in the net.” Thousands of such birds are poached daily and the bird trappers make good money by selling the meat to liquor outlets and hotels on the ECR. This massacre of migratory birds has been going on unabated and the arrival of the winged guests will reduce drastically in the days to come unless adequate measures are taken by the Forest Dep­art­ment. Both the Indian pond heron and egret are listed under the Wildlife Pro­tec­tion Act 1972 and poaching them carries a fine of `10,000 or imprisonment or both, Ilayaraja said. An ornithologist who preferred to remain anonymous said that paddy fields on the ECR had now beco­me the favourite hau­nts of poachers. Earlier, primitive tribes, in­clud­ing those belo­nging to the Narikorava community, were the main culprits. But of late, residents from coastal haml­ets too have been hunting these birds. Despite arrests and dire threats by the forest department they resume. The forest department should conduct periodic checks on hotels where the meat of exotic birds is served, he added. Source: deccanchronicle/131029/news-current-affairs/article/egrets-served-dish-ecr-hotels