'Protect birds from extinction'

Hundreds of bird lovers thronged the Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus yesterday to attend a daylong bird fair.
With a view to create awareness among people about birds and nature conservation, the zoology department of JU organised the fair in association with Wildlife Rescue Centre and Bangladesh Bird Club.
JU Vice-Chancellor Sharif Enamul Kabir inaugurated the fair in the morning.
A number of telescopes and binoculars were installed at different points on the campus to facilitate bird-watching. Children participated in a drawing competition where they drew pictures of different species of birds.
Talking to The Daily Star, Manirul H Khan, an associate professor of the zoology department, said, “The fair has created awareness among the people and JU campus has become a much protected area for birds.”
“The government should create a network of protected areas for conservation of wildlife. Though there are some protected areas in the country, those are not maintained properly,” he added.
Young bird lovers from across the country enjoyed bird-watching through telescopes and binoculars, and gathered information on birds from four stalls at the fair compound set up by the students of the zoology department.
“The number of birds in Bangladesh is decreasing day by day. We need to do something immediately to preserve them,” said the JU VC.
Debate competition, photography exhibition, quiz and painting competition on birds were also held on the sidelines. Stalls displaying photographs, posters, journals on birds were also set up on the path leading to the university auditorium.
The zoology department of JU has been organising the fair since 2001.
Prof Md Mafizul Kabir, convenor of the fair organising committee, and wild life specialist Enam Ul Haque, among others, were present.