Two arrested after video shows illegal bird hunting in Kanpur

Beat in charge of Sarsaul forest range Krishna Kumar Kushwaha said an FIR had been lodged against four people , two of them minors. The case was lodged by Maharajpur police under Sections 9 and 21 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The two arrested people told the police that bird meat, particularly that of Siberian birds, was much in demand, creating a lucrative market. To make a fast buck, people were hunting the birds at several places.

Kanpur: Two people were arrested on Saturday and two minors were being questioned after a video surfaced on social media, showing people here hunting migratory birds and taking them away .

Joint commissioner of police, law and order Anand Prakash Tiwari said an alert had been sounded in police stations in Kanpur suburbs to work in close coordination with forest officials to check bird hunting (Pic for representation)

More than 10 species of migratory birds have flown long distances to Kanpur and are flocking the suburbs, particularly in the vicinity of the Ganga river bed. The avian influx after a two -year gap has been on the higher side this year.

Beat in charge of Sarsaul forest range Krishna Kumar Kushwaha said an FIR had been lodged against four people , two of them minors. The case was lodged by Maharajpur police under Sections 9 and 21 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

“ All the four were identified through the video and others are also being identified,” said Kushwaha, adding the video that surfaced on Friday showed large-scale hunting of migratory birds, particularly Siberian .

“Our investigation revealed that the video was shot in Domanpur Purvameer in Sarsaul near the river. The people seen taking away the dead birds after killing them were Rampal and Vinod, residents of Dibiyapur village,’ he said, adding that the information was shared with the police and arrests were made. The two minors were being questioned and would be sent to the juvenile home.

The two arrested people told the police that bird meat, particularly that of Siberian birds, was much in demand, creating a lucrative market. To make a fast buck, people were hunting the birds at several places.

Joint commissioner of police, law and order Anand Prakash Tiwari said an alert had been sounded in police stations in Kanpur suburbs to work in close coordination with forest officials to check bird hunting. Police were also seeking help of the public to identify people involved in hunting and sale of birds. “We have taken this matter very seriously and stern action will be taken against the poachers,’ he said.