Imphal: A man has been arrested for allegedly poisoning and killing 12 migratory ducks at Ikop Pat Lake in Manipur’s Thoubal district, following a joint operation by forest officials and animal rights activists on Tuesday morning.
The suspect was apprehended during an early morning raid conducted to prevent illegal poaching in and around the lake. The enforcement team recovered 12 dead birds, including 10 Lesser Whistling Teals and two Common Teals, concealed beneath grass inside a sack carried by the accused.
According to a press statement issued by the voluntary organisation People for Animals Manipur, the accused is a resident of Thoubal Ningombam. Acting on specific intelligence inputs and following instructions from the Thoubal District Forest Officer, the joint team launched an operation near the lake’s paddy fields at around 5 am.
During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted to using pesticide-laced paddy grains placed on water lily leaves to poison the migratory birds. He also reportedly confessed to catching birds using nets on several occasions.
A case has been registered against the accused under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The Thoubal Forest Division has subsequently approached the local court seeking five days of remand to facilitate further investigation into the suspected poaching activities and possible links to a wider network.
The incident comes as thousands of migratory birds begin arriving at wetlands and other water bodies across Manipur with the onset of winter. The latest case has once again raised concerns over illegal hunting and the use of poisonous substances to kill migratory birds in the state’s ecologically significant wetlands.