Rare birds, animals killed and sold by poachers

PUDUCHERRY: With the way things are going, it could well be a repeat of the dodo. Thanks to indiscriminate poaching, rare and endangered species of both birds and animals have been killed and put up for sale near the Villianur bypass road. And the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the Narikuravas - a scheduled tribe, who have been involved in poaching in the forests of nearby Tindivanam and Villipuram in Tamil Nadu. In fact, close to 20 families of Narikuravas reside on the Koodapakkam road, just half a kilometer from the famous Thirukameshwar temple.Some of the animals being sold included palm civets, storks, migratory pelicans, wild cats (kaattu poonai), wild rabbits (kaattu muyal) and wild squirrels (kaattu anil). Interestingly, the hunters use country-made guns (with no licence) and searchlights, fashioned out of a torch which can be fitted to the head, for ‘vettai’ (hunting).The modus operandi is simple. The male members leave their homes as early as 3 am, especially on Sunday morning, for ‘vettai’ and return around 8 am. Around this time, prospective buyers start to line up on the Koodapakkam road, where the Narikurava settlements are situated. The dead animals are then displayed and the buyers scan the ‘market’ and  bargain for the ‘best’ catch.According to the Narikuravas’ own admission, rare larks and pelicans fetch around Rs 300 per kg.  The rates for bigger migratory birds are even higher, with people probably seeking a change in their diet.When this reporter asked a Narikurava woman for a peacock, she immediately agreed and asked for a contact number. But, for reasons known only to her, she said that she would only deliver the meat, not the feathers and the skin.But, of course, it is hard to digest that the Narikuravas have been allowed to carry on this illegal trade without it coming to anybody’s notice. For one, the tribe shares its spoils with local petty criminals, who would be given a share of the ‘collection’ they make out of the illegal trade. As for the forest department officials and other law enforcement agencies, who are supposed to act against such illegal activities, they look the other way, with the indiscriminate killing and selling continuing unabated.