Eateries here selling lark (locally called bageri) meat in the name of serving delicacies are in for trouble.

The divisional forest office has decided to act tough against such eateries and sue them under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act.

The department has started groundwork to identify them in several parts of the district and prosecution proposals have already been received for sanction in a few cases.

Bageri, the tiny yellow bird, is one of the varieties of birds considered vital for maintaining the ecological balance. It is found mostly in sugarcane and arhar (a variety of pulse) fields from where the bird-catchers usually cage them to sell at exorbitant rates.

Sharing details, East Champaran divisional forest officer (DFO) Anwarul Haque told The Telegraph: “A proposal for prosecution against a lark meat seller near Gandhi Chowk has been received. We have seized the hotel signboard on which availability of lark meat had been mentioned. Now, the department would begin penal action against the hotel owner.” He added that one of the employees of the eatery had admitted the frequent sale of lark meat from their joint.

“Frequent poaching of this endangered bird as well as open sale of its flesh had been reported from several other parts of the district, including Raxaul. Those found guilty of violating the Act may be awarded imprisonment up to six months along with fine or both according to the provisions under Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,” said Haque.

Forest officials, allegedly callous towards protection of lark and several other species of birds such as snipe, sandpiper and stint, which also fall within ambit of the Wild Life Protection Act 1972, were shaken into action following a report on lark poaching published in The Telegraph on February 26 this year.

The bageri meat can easily be ordered in any big eatery at Gandhi Chowk, Chhatauni Chowk and Raghunathpur Chowk in Motihari town.

“Similarly, several other smaller birds like pipit, bulbul, sparrow and wagtail, which too fall under the purview of the Wildlife Protection Act, are frequently hunted and sold at exorbitant prices in the name of bageri in select seasons,” said Arvind Mishra, a member of the State Wildlife Board. He also called for a blanket ban on poaching of bageri and other smaller birds.