6 live traps for birds laid by poachers found in Dehra
Dharamsala, January 28
The wildlife wing of the Forest Department has found six live traps laid in the Bhatoli Fakorian region of Dehra tehsil for migratory birds coming to the Pong Dam wetland area. According to the Block Forest Officer Pritam, these traps were placed near the lakeside where the birds generally come in flocks to feed themselves. Notably, there is an acute shortage of staff in the Wildlife Department to keep a continuous vigil in and around the vast lake.
A case was recently registered against a person carrying three bar-headed geese in the Ghar Jarot area of Jawali tehsil in Kangra. He was booked under the Wildlife Act.
Every winter when the lakes across Himalayas freeze, birds start their journey crossing world’s highest snow-clad mountains to find solace in the warm waters of the Pong Lake. The birds come from distant lands like Siberia and Mongolia and remain here till the beginning of summer. It is considered one of the toughest and biggest migration of birds in the world. The bar-headed geese are among some of the bird species that visit the Pong Lake every year.
People living around the lake have had problems with these birds right from the time the lake came into being in the early seventies. The people plough the fertile land around the lake which gives them a rich harvest. They are often seen shooing away these birds who feed on their harvest.
