Illegal sale of birds goes unabated on Dhaka-Sylhet highway
Illegal selling of birds are going on unabated on Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Habiganj.
During a recent visit to Debpara bazar area in Nabiganj upazila of the district, this correspondent found that the sale of birds was going on rampantly on the highway.
The price of a heron is at Tk 250 while a duck is sold at Tk 400. Apart from that, rare birds are too pricey in the highway area, he added.
Bird hunter Saju Mia said he has been selling birds on the highway for the last five years. Some people ordered pricey birds for their boss.
The prices of his birds remain high as he does not use colour in the birds, he said.
Another hunter Basit said a huge number of birds of different species throng haor areas to find out food during this season.
He added that they set traps at 40 spots in Hail Haor and other haor areas this time, poaching birds. Besides, they use airgun to catch birds.
These birds are sold at different rural haats and bazars including Debpara bazar in the highway area, he said.
On October 11, Habiganj's Baniachang Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Masud Rana fined a hunter named Abdul Hamid for poaching birds with a trap in Dali Maholla Haor area near Habiganj-Baniachang road.
Sajen Mia, a resident of the area, said Hamid sets traps near his house to catch birds. He has been involved in the illegal hunting and sale of birds for long.
The UNO said, he saw the hunter poaching birds with traps while passing through the road on October 11. He then seized 15 birds from Hamid. The poacher was fined at Tk 1,000. He later released the birds.
Major Ahmed Noman Zaki, camp commander of Rab-9 Srimangal Camp, said a team of elite force, on secret information, raided Nabiganj area on Dhaka-Sylhet highway on September 18 last year and recovered birds.
They also arrested five bird poachers from the area, he said.
The hunters poached the birds in haor and then brought them to the highway for sale, said the Rab official, adding that they also arrested four bird poachers from the highway at Debpara bazar on October 13.
A mobile court later fined the four arrestees, said Assistant Commissioner (land) Sumaiya Momin in Nabiganj.
She added that all the rescued 21 birds were white herons. The herons were being sold at high prices. The herons were later released into the open sky.
If anybody is found poaching and selling birds illegally in the areas, punitive action will be taken against them, said Sumaiya.
Dr Jahirul Hoque Shakil, a prominent professor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and a life member of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa), said according to the Wildlife Conservation and Security Act, hunting and killing of any kind of birds is a punishable offence.
"I think that the illegal act goes unabated in the Sylhet division and other parts of the country due to lack of awareness and proper execution of the law," he said.
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