In a recent (Jan 2011) trip to Murlen National Park in East Mizoram, we (Shashank Dalvi, Atul Jain and I) observed rampant bird-trapping near villages. Villagers had set up several traps. We counted 25+ traps in a 1/2 km stretch along the road and released all trapped birds. A trapped Assam Laughing Thrush (a below-Brahmaputra endemic) first caught our attention. Then we found Flavescent bulbuls, Oriental White-eyes and Leaf-birds also caught in traps.
It is very unfortunate in that there seems to be no real reason for hunting. Last year, we had seen serious hunting for the pot in Nagaland. Here, villages seem to have enough sources of protein from domestic animals (pig, chicken, etc.) to resort to killing birds for the pot. Probably tradition or just a pastime. Does it make it easier to control or more difficult?
CI is a non-profit, non-commercial portal that aims to facilitate wildlife and nature conservation by providing reliable information and the tools needed to campaign effectively.
Chosen as 'Picture of the Week'
These bird-trappings are very unfortunate given that there seems to be no real reason for hunting. The situation is similar in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Here, villages seem to have enough sources of protein from domestic animals (pig, chicken, etc.) to resort to killing birds for the pot. Probably tradition or just a pastime.