Five held in Kaziranga for hunting wild birds; rare Cotton Pygmy Goose rescued

Biswanath, Dec 10: Five people were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly hunting wild birds in the northern range of Kaziranga National Park in Assam’s Biswanath district.

A joint team from the Biswanath Ghat Range and the Crime Investigation Range launched an operation at Bholakhat Beel after receiving specific inputs that a group of miscreants had set up nets to trap wild birds.

The team caught all five suspects red-handed. The arrested individuals have been identified as Saiful Islam, Anowar Hussain, Tamsar Ali, Abul Hussain and Fukir Ali.

“We detained them following a targeted operation based on reliable inputs. They were involved in similar activities earlier as well but had not been caught. During interrogation, they admitted that they either consume the birds or sell them,” a forest official said.

From their possession, officials rescued a live wild bird suspected to be a Cotton Pygmy Goose, a Schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

A fishing net, two mobile phones, a torch and two white bags were also seized.

Forest authorities noted that the Cotton Pygmy Goose is a rare migratory species that arrives in Assam from Afghanistan.

“The bird is a migratory species; it breeds here and comes from Afghanistan,” the official added.