The treacherous killers of Hakaluki Haor

Every morning, almost without exception, locals of Islampur village under Barlekha upazila of Moulvibazar district see scores of dead birds floating in the marshlands adjacent to their villages. Although the government has a ban on hunting of migratory birds in the marshlands, which is designated a Ecologically Critical Area (ECA), bird hunting is going on unabated. The hunters have now adopted a cruel and devious method of murder to escape the attention of the authorities. The Dhaka Tribune found that the dead birds the farmers saw were those that the bird hunters could not manage to clean up, since so many were struck by their fatal traps. Abdul Halim, a resident of the village, has a paddy field in the marshland. The water level sinks below the his land during winter, offering him an opportunity to raise a crop in this season. Halim alleged that the farmers notice hunters scout around the wetland area every day in the guise of cattle herders to get close to flocks of wintering birds. The hunters pepper the shallow waters of the marshland with poison-laced fish. Several hours later, they return to collect their prey. The unsuspecting birds that swallowed the bait are often still alive and lying half-dead in the water. This Dhaka Tribune correspondent visited the Haor area under Barlekha and Kulaura upazilas on Wednesday morning and chanced upon a number of ducks, swamp hens, storks and herons lying dead and afloat at many spots. The villagers said that this was not a rare sight as several bird hunting gangs are operating in the area. In earlier days, gangs of 10-12 people used to hunt birds in broad daylight using traps and local weapons, but now they have taken a more cautious approach. It is easier to avoid detection by authorities using poison-laced fish as bait. People of Hakaluki Haor say they are seeing a decline in the population of migratory birds in recent winters due to the rampant hunting. Kulaura Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Sultan Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune that he counted around 50 species of birds wintering around the wetland under his jurisdiction just several years ago. “But this time around, I have counted some 30 species so far.” “Besides initiating a drive against bird killing using poisoned baits, buffalo herding in the swamp forests of the Haor has to be stopped to protect the ecosystem. Birds will stop coming to this Haor very soon, if otherwise,” he added. Barlekha Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Mohammad Sohel Mahmud said: “We can't let the hunting of migratory birds go unchecked. If any bird hunter is found in the Haor, we will set up mobile court to take legal action against that person.” Hakaluki Haor is an 181.15 square kilometre wetland area comprising parts of five northeastern upazilas in Moulvibazar and Sylhet districts. It harnesses a total of 283 beels (natural depressions), interlined by 10 rivers and numerous canals. The government declared Hakaluki Haor as an ECA in 1999.