Poachers on prowl in haors
A man, casually holding a Kaleem bird, looks for potential buyers while another carries four slaughtered birds, including a white heron and a sarali duck, and hands it over to another buyer before vanishing amid the crowd within a blink of the eye -- this is what this correspondent was welcomed to as he stepped into Kashimpur market in Moulvibazar Sadar upazila.
Instances like these have become common in the market these days, especially now that the migratory birds started arriving in the haors.
Rampant poaching has become a common phenomenon in the region amid an absence of effective initiatives and vigilance from the authorities concerned.
Bird enthusiasts and locals have expressed concerns and called for immediate measures to halt poaching activities.
Every year, thousands of migratory birds come to Kawadighi, Hakaluki, Hail, and Tanguar haors from different countries during winter.
Rajon Ahmed, on November 10, saw migratory birds being slaughtered and sold near the Kashimpur Pump House area.
"Drives are conducted when these incidents make headlines but everything goes back to the old ways after a while. No one is abiding by the rules and no actions are being taken to stop this," said Rajon, an environmental activist in the area.
Around 15-20 poachers are active in each gang. They choose this profession as it is profitable and an abundance of birds are available in the haors during this season, said a poacher wishing anonymity.
"Some people even place orders and offer good price for migratory birds so we fulfil their demands," he added.
In turn, the number of migratory birds is decreasing in the haors and there might be a day when they stop coming here, said Ripon Das, a local green activist.
"Some birds even build nests in our houses and we try our best to guard them. However, our efforts go in vain as poachers use poison baits and traps without any intervention from the authorities," said Akhter Ahmed Shipu of Halla village in Baralekha upazila.
The poachers have already become active, while the birds have not even started arriving at the haors yet, said Sajal Deb, director of Bangladesh Wildlife Service Foundation.
As per the Wildlife (Conservation) Act- 2012, killing, poaching, selling and possessing any wildlife is a punishable offence.
Birds are indicators of ecological health and wealth of certain areas. Sylhet's haors are famous for migratory birds, besides being a habitat for many indigenous species. They are important for regeneration of flora and fauna, said Abdul Karim Kim, general secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, Sylhet.
"Catching and selling of these birds should be stopped immediately," he added.
Contacted, Dr Jahangir Alam, divisional forest officer in Sylhet, said, "The issue has come to our attention. We will identify the spots and conduct mobile court drives. Meanwhile efforts are on to raise awareness among locals."