M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Feb 11: Bird smugglers in Jharkhand are passing sparrows, pipits, wagtails and ‘muniya’ as lark and fleece innocent buyers who are ready to pay any price in the name of lark bird.
This information was given by Jharkhand State Board of Wildlife member Satya Prakash who is also the Jharkhand state coordinator of Bombay Natural History Society and International Bird Conservation Network.
“Our sparrows, pipits, wagtails and muniya all are schedule-4 birds. We need to conserve them,” Satya Prakash said.
As Lark is a migratory bird and comes from Tibet, it is the most sought-after bird during winters and the unscrupulous bird smugglers take advantage of the buyers and push the schedule-4 birds as larks.
He had a similar voice of concern for the parrots, especially the Alexandrine Parakeet which households love to have in the cage.
Alexandrine Parakeet is placed on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Palamu Tiger Reserve has little over 170 species of birds but there are not many bird lovers and watchers of them.
Satya Prakash said it is because of a lack of awareness and people’s interest in birds. He has suggested workshops and seminars be held at a periodic level in and around the sanctuary.
