Forest department team seizes 80 bird traps in Thoubal district

A combined team of the Thoubal Forest Range and Kakching Forest Range, led by Divisional Forest Officer Dr. Leishangthem Jeeceelee of the Thoubal Forest Division, seized eighty wild bird traps during an anti-poaching drive conducted at Lilong Nganglou Loukol.
The officials said that the operation was conducted by the staff of both the ranges, including Range Officer Dineschandra Salam and Range Officer Sundar Huidrom, along with teams from their respective Beat Offices. The team found and removed eighty traps used in capturing wild birds during the drive in paddy fields of Nganglou Loukol.
Beat Officer L. Samananda of the Mayai Keithel Beat Office said that the Forest Department had been conducting regular field inspections to thwart incidents of illegal bird trapping and hunting. Several traps along with other materials used in poaching had been seized during these ongoing operations, he added.
With winter setting in, migratory and local birds can be seen in large numbers in the district, with rising incidents of their illegal trapping also being reported. The Forest Department has appealed to the public to desist from catching or causing injury to wild birds, stating it was a punishable offence under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The department also called upon citizens to report cases related to bird trapping to aid in wildlife protection in the district.