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World Animal Day Today

Sale of wild birds rampant on Dhaka-Sylhet highway

Mintu Deshwara
Buying and selling of birds is rampant on Dhaka-Sylhet highway. Professional and seasonal bird hunters gather to do business in Nabiganj upazila area of Habiganj district, selling off the creatures for people's consumption.
Bird hunter Mizan Mia, 35, a resident of Nabiganj upazila, said they use electrical nets to trap and hunt birds from haor areas, canals, and trees. He earns a livelihood for his five-member family by selling the birds.
“Sometimes my regular customers from Dhaka or Chattogram contact me when they need large birds to roast for picnics or parties," he added.
Robin Mia, 45, has been selling birds in the Dhaka-Sylhet highway for two years. He said most of his customers travel on the road in private cars.
During a recent visit to the area, this correspondent learned that traders use different traps to catch the birds. Some bird hunters, seeking anonymity, said that they catch birds from lakes (beel) and sell them to local markets, hotels and restaurants for a good price.
A heron costs between Tk 150-400, while a duck is sold for Tk 300-500. Rare birds are more expensive, based on the size and species.
According to Section 38 of the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act of 2012, killing any wild or migratory bird is a punishable offence, with a punishment of
imprisonment for maximum one year, and a fine of maximum Tk 1 lakh. The punishment is doubled if the offence is repeated.
The act also demonstrates that collecting, acquiring, purchasing, selling and transporting any wild or migratory bird is an offence with a punishment of imprisonment of maximum six months, and a fine of maximum Tk 30,000. This punishment is also doubled for second-time offence.
Amjad Hosain, additional superintendent of Rab-9, said that one of their teams raided
PHOTO: STAR
Nabiganj on September 18 and recovered some birds.
He added, "We arrested five traders hailing from Nabiganj. They had collected the birds from haors."
Nabiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Touhid Bin Hasan said the five traders were given four months' imprisonment and the birds were released.
He added that the upazila administration is on alert to stop bird hunting.Tofazzal Sohel, general secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, Habiganj unit said, some professional and seasonal bird hunters are active in the district. "Some dishonest and greedy people have been hunting migratory birds. The authorities are not conducting enough raids to stop this practice."
Narayan Saha, former head of the department of forestry and environmental science at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology said, "Birds help maintain the balance of the environment, and hunting them is a punishable offence."
"Widespread awareness is needed to stop this terrible practice of killing birds. Law enforcers have to be strict about punishing the poachers," said Saha.