Mandar Nature Club members display the dead Rudy Shelducks found on the diara of river Ganga. Picture by Amit Kumar

Bhagalpur, Feb. 17: Bird lovers and voluntary organisations working for the conservation of animals and birds in Bhagalpur have expressed concern over the ill- treatment meted out to migratory birds by residents of remote areas like in diaras of river Ganga.

Voluntary organisation Mandar Nature Club, conducted a survey on the 35km stretch of river Ganga from Sultanganj to Bhagalpur on February 16. Experts involved in the survey were shocked to find that migratory birds are being rampantly killed in diara areas for flesh or sold. The members of the team conducted the winter survey of the birds under the programme Asian Water Bird Sanctions of Wetlands International, a body, which has been active since 1954 for monitoring bird population.

Migratory birds start arriving in the hinterland of Bhagalpur, Munger, Saharsa, Khagaria, Begusarai, Araria, Katihar, parts of Banka and Jamui districts at the onset of winter. Diaras with water bodies are considered an ideal shelter for the migratory birds along with Indian ones.

“The nests of white-necked stork in a diara and a few rare birds, which were spotted recently in the Gangetic plains of Bhagalpur were historic moments for bird lovers,” an expert said.

The migratory birds fly over the Himalayas from extreme cold places during winter and after spending the winter here, return to their native places from mid-February onwards. According to Arvind Mishra, state coordinator of Indian Bird Conservation Network and Wetlands International, who lead the team for the survey said the members were shocked to find three bodies of Rudy Shelduck, a Siberian bird, on the island in the midst of the river at Mirzapur diara under Narayanpur block of Bhagalpur.

Arvind Mishra later handed over the dead birds to the forest department in Bhagalpur for autopsy.

“We also found some poison mixed in foodgrains near the spot. The poachers have changed their modus operandi to catch birds. Instead of using traditional nets and cages, they have devised another way to trap birds — using poison in foodgrains,” Mishra said. Dhiraj Kumar, animal husbandry officer, Sabaur block, Bhagalpur, who was also present in the team, has confirmed that the poachers have started using sedatives to catch birds.

“With the influence of sedatives, the birds lose their flying capacity for some time. The poacher, then gives a few medicines to the trapped bird to bring it back to normal. But the delay in providing medicines sometimes prove fatal for the birds,” Kumar said.

Noted educationist from Bhagalpur, Rajiv Kant Mishra, who was also part of the survey team, said: “The government should formulate effective policies for the conservation of birds.”

Mishra said during the daylong survey, the team has identified more than 30 species of different migratory birds, along with Indian birds at the Gangetic diara. He said apart from birds, the team members also found Gangetic dolphins and endangered otters on the island of river Ganga at Faridpur diara.