Bird hunt in rural areas under Santirbazar in South Tripura is snowballing into a major ecological crisis as people are hunting and killing birds for food. However, Forest deparment officials commented that there were no such report of hunting birds.
Local people alleged that some youngmen were been found hunting wild birds at Bigafa reserve forest for food. The hunters in broad daylight found roaming in the forests shooting down the birds using primitive slingshots, local sources said.
Everyday a gang of youngmen comes out from their villages armed with these primitive hunting weapons to kill birds. The group members get scattered in the villages where more birds are found. On seeing birds taking rests in the tree branches, their trained hands rarely miss any opportunity to hunt it down. “The forest department that is fully responsible to safeguard and protect wild animals found unmoved with the incidents and on being contacted, the SDFO Santirbzar said, he has no such reports” sources alleged.
On Wednesday locals of Betaga area under Santirbazar sub-division spotted a boy who was hunting birds in the area. Locals objected to this and inquired of his whereabouts. One of the locals shot a video footage of the men in which he had admitted that he was hunting birds to enjoy it for dinner.
“I am trying to bring some food for my home. I and three of my friends have been out hunting birds since morning”, the boy said after the man asked him about the incident. He later also admitted that he was doing it from the past couple of months.
Among the locals who prevented them from killing birds, said, “This should not continue. We do not see much birds nowadays like we are used to since our childhood days. The birds play a crucial role for our ecology and it must be protected. Those who are involved in this inhuman practice must be published as per the law”.
Reacting on the issue, SDFO Santirbazar Jaymalya Bhattacharjee said, “as of now, we have no complaints. If there is something like that we shall surely initiate an inquiry”.
