Although hunting birds is a punishable offence, a group of bird hunters in Thakurgaon are trapping wild birds with no regard for the law.

The captured birds are kept in cages and then sold openly at local markets. The buyers are middle-class and upper-middle-class people.

The scene was witnessed on Friday, 8 January, at the market in Charol union of Baliadangi in the district.

The wild bird market has grown up at the traditional Lahiri Hat in Charol union, and is held every Monday and Friday. The government collects revenue from the market by leasing it out. Wild birds are also sold openly at other markets across the district.

Under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act of 2012, the maximum penalty for killing birds is a fine of Tk 1 lakh, one year in prison, or both. A repeat offence carries a fine of Tk 2 lakh, two years in prison, or both.

In defiance of this law, many kinds of birds are sold openly at the markets, including parakeets, garol parakeets, doves, mynas, herons, cormorants and wakka. A pair of parakeets sells for Tk 800, doves for Tk 450 and a pair of herons for Tk 300. Various smaller birds sell for Tk 100 a pair.

It is reported that when local people try to stop the trade, political leaders and activists take the hunters' side and threaten them.

Local people said the sellers and buyers did not listen when told to stop, and that swift legal action was needed to crack down on the killing of wildlife.

Charol union chairman Dilip Kumar Chatterjee said action would be taken against the bird sellers. The union parishad was monitoring the situation, he said, and the parishad and village police were trying to stop the killing of birds.

Haripada Debnath, range officer of the Thakurgaon forest department, said: "Whenever we learn that birds are being hunted anywhere, we take the necessary action immediately. We are also making people aware."

Nature lovers hope the authorities concerned will quickly take effective steps to stop the hunting of wild birds to protect nature and the environment.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.