Lark poaching has reached a highly professional level where five groups of poachers consisting of five to eight people per group from Murshidabad, east of Birbhum district, camp across several locations in Bolpur. At dusk, they trap the birds and haul them back to Behrampore town to sell for consumption. Short-toed Larks are considered to be a popular delicacy in Birbhum and are openly sold daily during this season. Several small birds that share similar characteristics to larks are also sold. These include pipits, bulbuls, sparrows and wagtails.
Larks play a major role in maintaining ecological balance as they are natural pest control agents. Their droppings are also important for fertilisation and germination in a large variety of plant species. Found mainly in sugarcane and arhar (pigeon pea) fields during spring, these birds feed on insects, particularly beetles. Arriving in large flocks, they feed continuously during the day then later spend the rest of the night on the ground of the fields. This makes it easy for poachers to trap the birds using 20 metre long mist nets made of fine mesh, which is attached to four metre long bamboo poles. The poles are planted to the ground while poachers stun the birds using light lamps and chase them towards the net forcing them to get entangled and trapped. Poachers manage to trap thousands of larks every day, thereby decimating their population.
Divisional forest officer (DFO), L. B. Manjhi has declared severe punishment in the form of seven years imprisonment as well as Rs 50, 000 fines to those in violation of the Act. Raids and arrests implemented between 2009 and 2012 resulted in a decrease in poaching events. However, a lack of raids in recent years has given rise to increased opportunities for poaching.
A similar case in Nagaland from two years ago found the massacre of migratory Amur falcons due to poaching. An estimated 1,20, 000 to 1,40, 000 birds were being hunted for consumption per year. However, in an outstanding conservation success story, management steps implemented by local NGOs and communities have allowed the falcon populations to recover and reach stability.
Source: The Economic Times.
