Birds flock over a pond in Motihari. Picture by Ajit Kumar Verma

The forest department has set up a network of informants to keep tabs on bird poachers active in East Champaran.

Motihari divisional forest officer Mokhtarul Haque said: “A task force has been set up to stop the poaching of birds this winter. We are engaging informants from different parts of the district to alert us if they find someone poaching migratory birds or even local fowls which are protected by law.”

Winter isn’t too far away and migratory birds, in search of a warm climate, have started to fly into East Champaran and neighbouring areas. The migratory birds remain in the district till February-March. With this, the fear of poachers getting active has also struck wildlife conservationists.

So, the drive to engage informants to help curb down on the menace would mean bird poachers would soon have a tough time.

Haque said the informants would be offered incentives for the information they provide the department. This would ensure they remain interested in the work.

Close to 15,000 migratory birds come to Motihari and its surrounding areas every winter, according to birdwatchers. Local lakes or water-filled low lands are their most preferred spots. Sarotar Jheel in the Gandak catchment area and Manuhari lake on Chhauradano-Nepal road in East Champaran and Saraya lake in Bettiah are some of the well-known winter abodes of the migratory birds

Bird watchers claimed more than a third of the birds are killed every year.

“The bird poachers have scant regard for the law. Non-government organisations working in the field of wildlife protection have to come forward and ensure safety of the birds, migratory and otherwise,” said Bhuvaneshwar Singh, a Champaran resident who has been raising voice for safeguarding the winged beings.

The forest department’s initiative is bound to put a smile on faces of wildlife enthusiasts such as Singh. The department recently has come down on restaurants selling lark meat.

Lark, a tiny yellow bird, is one of the varieties of protected birds under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, considered vital for maintaining the ecological balance. It is found mostly in sugarcane and arhar (a variety of pulse) fields from where they are often caged by the catchers. On Saturday, a roadside eatery owner was caught taking a delivery of 56 dressed larks.

The divisional forest office has decided to act tough against eateries selling lark meat and sue them under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. It has started groundwork to identify such eateries in several parts of the district and prosecution proposals have already been received for sanction in a few cases. On Saturday, arrest of the roadside eatery owner in the district was part of the same drive.

Haque said: “Apart from taking legal action against the violators and setting up a network of informants, we are planning to undertake an awareness drive. We would put up hoardings and distribute pamphlets among the people to make them understand the need to protect the birds from poachers in the area.”