Many bird sanctuaries in Ca Mau are at risk of being wiped out.

Ca Mau province currently has nearly a dozen natural bird sanctuaries, the largest of which covers an area of ​​2-6 hectares. These are home to many bird species such as egrets, herons, cormorants, bitterns, and some rare species of storks and herons that require strict protection and conservation.

(Illustrative photo: Duy Khuong/VNA)

In recent years, these bird sanctuaries have been increasingly degraded due to indiscriminate hunting by people living near the areas. They use various hunting methods, from nets and traps to fishing lines and even using lead pellet guns to hunt birds from a distance.

The peak time for bird hunting usually takes place in the early morning, as this is when flocks of birds fly out of the gardens to search for food in the forest edges, shrimp ponds, or mudflats. Another concerning issue is that some bird sanctuary owners open restaurants next to their gardens and are willing to "butcher" birds for profit, exploiting the pretext of serving tourists visiting the ecological bird sanctuary.

Furthermore, in Ca Mau province, an increasing number of eateries are offering specialty dishes made from wild bird meat on their menus. Therefore, restaurant owners readily purchase live birds at high prices. On average, locals hunt at least 10-30 birds daily to sell, earning between 200,000 and 500,000 VND.

Driven by short-term profit, local people employ destructive hunting methods against many rare bird species. If this continues, many ecological bird sanctuaries in Ca Mau will be wiped out in the not-too-distant future.

Authorities in Ca Mau province need to take effective measures to prevent the indiscriminate hunting of birds. Importantly, this should not be limited to education and awareness campaigns, but also include strict penalties to deter such behavior.

Furthermore, owners of bird sanctuaries should be required to sign commitments to strictly protect and conserve existing natural bird sanctuaries for the benefit of tourists, considering them invaluable national assets.

According to (Vietnam+) – LC