Guwahati: Five people have been arrested for allegedly hunting wild birds in the northern range of the Kaziranga National Park in Assam’s Biswanath district, an official said on Wednesday.
Acting on specific information that a group was laying nets to trap birds at Bholakata Beel, a joint team from the Biswanath Ghat Range and Crime Investigation Range launched an operation and apprehended the accused.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Saiful Islam, Anowar Hussain, Tamsar Ali, Abul Hussain and Fukir Ali.
A forest official said the team detained the group during a targeted operation acting on reliable inputs. “They had been involved in similar activities earlier but had never been caught. During questioning, they admitted that they either consume the birds or sell them,” the official added.
A live wild bird, suspected to be a Cotton Pygmy Goose, a Schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, along with a fishing net, two mobile phones, a torch and two white bags were recovered from their possession.
According to forest authorities, the Cotton Pygmy Goose is a rare migratory species that arrives in Assam from Afghanistan.
Forest officials said the arrests come at a time when the department has intensified surveillance against bird trapping ahead of the peak migratory season.
ALSO READ: Assam CM inaugurates Swahid Smarak Kshetra, honours Assam Movement martyrs on Swahid Divas
Increased patrolling has been launched around waterbodies across Kaziranga’s fringe areas, where illicit bird hunting has been reported in the past.
The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, and further investigation is underway to determine whether they are part of a larger illegal hunting network.
