Ornithologists, bird lovers concerned about bird poaching in city

The Times of India , Saturday, January 10, 2015
Correspondent : P Sangeetha
When Ajaikumar Ramamoorthy, the founder of the Photography Club of Coimbatore, recently visited the Ukkadam lake for a bird census, he was shocked to see metal traps all over the shore. The lake, which was desilted and cleared of shrubs, is a hotbed for birds including peacocks, francolin and doves.

"The Ukkadam lake and the Kannampalayam lake are hotbeds for poaching. We have also heard many stories from locals about men with guns lurking around the Muthannan kulam lake. But it is the Ukkadam Lake, which has been affected in a major fashion by poaching after the entire city came together to clean it," says Ajai.

Is poaching on the rise in the city? "I cannot answer that question with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. But I can assure that poaching prevails in the city and on its outskirts. The Forest Department is short-staffed and they have only been able to address the issues in the forest region," says environmentalist K Mohanraj.

Agreeing with him is Ajai, who says that though there have been stringent rules against poaching, they are not really implemented. "When we come across such incidents, we report to them or NGOs that are working for the cause. But many incidents go unrecorded. These birds are then sold to eateries and consumed by people."

Senior Scientist P Pramod of the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History adds that no serious study has been done on species that have gone extinct due to poaching. "However, our forums have come across many such incidents during our study. Though there is more awareness on the environment front today, we still keep hearing about poaching at regular intervals. Small checks are happening on the poaching front, but they need to be intensified," he says.

The repercussions, environmentalists fear, could be severe in the long run."The population dynamics will change. The birds that are already threatened will become endangered, and endangered birds will become extinct. When a species, especially a migratory one, senses that there is a threat to its life in a particular habitat, it will switch places and will eventually stop coming to that belt. The endangered species of Great Indian Bustard is a victim of poaching and habitat loss," says Mohanraj.

Pramod says there is this wrong perception among public that only the birds in the forests qualify as wildlife. The birds in our immediate living environment are also part of the wildlife and their dwindling numbers can cause an imbalance to the ecosystem in the long run. A case in point is the Siberian Crane, which used to visit India regularly. The bird is now an extinct species in India, thanks to poaching. It doesn't cross the China border now."

It's high time people become more vigilant and pull up their socks. Ajai says that environmentalists and bird watchers should ensure that they do not cause any disturbance to the birds when they visit the lakes.

"In some parts of the lake, birds would have laid their eggs among the bushes. So, one needs to be careful." Mohanraj adds that people in the cities too have to be more vigilant. "We have to become the watchdog for the birds. At any given point in time, the Ukkadam Lake plays host to at least 20 species of birds. Poaching is now bringing down the number and many migratory birds have stopped coming to Coimbatore. Increasing the awareness on poaching and regular patrolling will help sustain the number."

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Coimbatore/Ornithologists-bird-lovers-concerned-about-bird-poaching-in-city/articleshow/45822422.cms
 


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