Nghe An takes decisive action to protect migratory bird flocks.
(Baonghean) - Currently, as many bird flocks migrate from the North to the South to escape the cold, authorities in Nghe An are stepping up efforts to raise awareness about protecting wild birds and handling cases of violations.
Traps in the countryside
This is the time of year when the weather in the North begins to turn cold, and flocks of wild birds begin their journey south to escape the cold. During their long journey, many unfortunate birds fall into traps set on the ground, becoming prey or commodities for humans.
In recent years, Nghe An has been one of the localities where the phenomenon of people organizing such events has occurred.fishingThis turns migratory birds into commodities in markets and restaurants. At times, birds were even sold indiscriminately along national highways and in residential areas, causing considerable concern and outrage regarding environmental protection. The "hot spots" for wild bird hunting are located in the districts of Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen, and Nam Dan…
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| People in many areas of Nghe An province used to set up nets in the fields to trap migratory birds. (Photo: Cong Kien) |
There are many ways to trap wild birds. In Nghe An province, people often use nets and decoy birds to catch migratory flocks. After the harvest, the fields with bare stubble are chosen as locations to set nets to catch birds. Depending on the number of birds, the nets will be spread over a wide or narrow area. Beer cans and other objects that make noise when the nets swing are often hung on the nets.
Bird hunters also play audio recordings.birdsongThe birds sing and whistle to attract the attention of flocks flying overhead. At night, flying over the deserted fields, hearing sounds from below, the flocks will swoop down, searching for their kind. When the flock falls into the net, the hunter will appear and cause a commotion, trapping the birds in the mesh. At this point, the hunter simply removes each trapped bird and takes them away.
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| Styrofoam decoys are placed in rice fields to trap migratory birds. Photo: CSCC |
The method of trapping using decoy birds is also common in rice fields. People cut pieces of foam into the shape of birds and scatter them on the fields, surrounded by bamboo or wooden sticks coated with glue. In some places, people use real birds as bait, tying their legs to the edge of the field with string to attract the attention of the birds.wild birdsWhile flying in the air, upon seeing a flock of storks below, mistaking them for their own kind foraging, the migratory birds swooped down.
Many unfortunate birds have gotten caught in glue and fallen into human hands. The trapped migratory birds are usually sold by locals at markets and specialty restaurants for around 20,000 VND per bird. Using this hunting and trapping method, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Lien in Minh Chau commune (Dien Chau district) catches about 500 birds each migratory season, earning tens of millions of VND.
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| The inter-agency inspection team of Dien Tho commune (Dien Chau district) launched an operation to dismantle illegal bird trapping sites for migratory birds. Photo: Public Security Police. |
And thanks to hunting and trapping wild birds, many people in Dien Chau and Nghi Loc districts earn hundreds, sometimes millions of dong per day, depending on the number of birds caught.
Entering the fray with determination.
These days, when traveling through the vast fields in the plains and midlands, we notice that the sight of egrets scattering across the fields like in previous years has almost disappeared. This shows that the authorities and government at all levels have taken decisive action to protect wild birds, and public awareness has begun to improve.
A typical example is the district.Dien Chau– areas that were once "hot spots" in previous years, especially in the communes of Dien Thinh, Dien Loc, Dien Phu, and Minh Chau… According to data from the Dien Chau District Forest Management Unit, after nearly 20 days of operation, the communes have eradicated 545 bird trapping sites, confiscated over 35,000 meters of nets, and destroyed nearly 75,000 fake storks made of styrofoam.
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| Fake storks made of foam were seized by authorities in Dien Chau district awaiting destruction. Photo: Police Department. |
In particular, in Dien Tho commune, in just one operation, the inter-agency inspection team, including the district forest rangers, police, and commune military, dismantled 30 bird traps, destroyed 450 fake egrets and 800 meters of netting.
Mr. Hoang Huu Tinh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Tho commune, said: "Following the directives from higher authorities, the commune has established an inter-agency inspection team and regularly conducts operations to handle cases violating regulations on environmental protection."wildlife"In addition, we will inspect restaurants and markets in the area, and any instances of trading, transporting, or consuming wild birds will be dealt with according to regulations."
Similar to Dien Chau, the fields in Nghi Loc district have recently seen a gradual disappearance of the white color of egrets, replaced by flocks of real egrets freely soaring and foraging in the rice paddies. The communes of Nghi Yen, Nghi Tien, Nghi Thiet, Nghi Hung, and Nghi Dong were once "hot spots" for bird hunting.immigrationBut the situation has basically "cooled down".
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| Authorities in Dien Chau district are raising awareness and encouraging people to sign pledges not to hunt, transport, consume, or slaughter wild animals. (Photo: Police) |
According to Mr. Truong Thanh Binh, a forest ranger in charge of Nghi Yen commune, not long ago, in some areas, people were using nets to hunt and trap migratory birds. Upon discovering this situation, he advised the Nghi Yen Commune People's Committee to issue a notice prohibiting the hunting, trapping, buying, selling, and slaughtering of migratory birds and wild animals.
At the same time, strengthen inspections and handle violations, and promote awareness campaigns, requiring households and restaurants to commit to not violating regulations on hunting and trapping.slaughterand consume wild birds.
According to information from the Nghi Loc District Forest Management Unit, since the end of September, the unit has advised the District People's Committee to issue a plan to strengthen wildlife management in the area. This includes a plan for relevant departments and agencies to coordinate with local authorities to organize awareness campaigns, disseminate information, and educate the public on relevant laws.protectwildlife.
At the same time, inspection teams were established to seize and destroy nets and traps in the fields; commitments were signed to refrain from trading, slaughtering, transporting, and consuming wild animals, including migratory birds.
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| Thanks to the decisive intervention of the authorities, many fields are now free of fake egrets and nets used to trap migratory birds. Photo: Cong Kien |
"In implementing the plan, we proactively coordinated with the communes to detect, combat, andhandle"In cases of deliberate violations, after a week of rigorous enforcement, the hunting and trapping of wild birds has significantly decreased, and there are no more decoy birds or trapping nets in the fields," said Mr. Nguyen Hong Lam, Head of the Nghi Loc Forest Ranger Station.
“During the rainy season, many migratory birds come to Nghe An province to seek shelter and feed, and people in some localities have organized illegal hunting. At the end of September, the Forest Protection Department issued a document requesting subordinate forest protection units to strengthen the management of migratory birds during the rainy season, coordinate with local authorities to promote awareness campaigns against hunting, buying, selling, transporting, slaughtering, and consuming wild animals, and organize crackdowns on the hunting of migratory birds.”
