HALDWANI: The forest department raided a safe house of poachers in Udham Singh Nagar district on Sunday evening and recovered three dead Eurasian coots and a Northern pintail from there from there. "The accused have been sent to jail. It is the beginning of migratory season and we are keeping a check on poaching of these endangered species," said Parag Madghukar Dhakate, divisional forest officer, Tarai east forest division.
The above mentioned birds are protected under schedule IV of Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
The two accused, Nandlal (35) and Ramashankar (55) killed the birds to sell them to locals, who apparently cook them and serve them as delicacies on special occasions.
As per government officials, the duo had already killed all birds and consumed one till the team of forest officials reached the spot. The team handed over the accused to the police.
"Both the migratory birds are considered to be 'high calorie diet' among the locals. That is why they are poached. They migrate from arctic to temperate regions across the globe and both are endangered species in India," said Jaipal Singh, a wildlife explorer and an activist.
The migratory birds from arctic regions mostly reside near Nanak Sagar dam, Tumadia dam, Bor dam and Haripura dam in Uttarakhand.
These birds migrate to India from colder countries for survival when larger fresh water bodies are frozen there. They fly to India from European countries, Siberia and China. The season of their migration starts from October and concludes in March.
Both birds are mostly found near fresh water bodies such as lakes, reservoirs and marshes. They travel across India wherever large fresh water bodies are available for food, shelter and breeding.
