Poacher held with 33 migratory bird carcasses near Chilika lake in Odisha

The Odisha Forest Department has arrested a 35-year-old man after the carcasses of 33 migratory birds were found in two gunny bags he was carrying near a water body under the Chilika Wildlife Division, officials said on Wednesday.

The birds, belonging to three species, were discovered during a routine patrol.

The accused, identified as Pradeep Mallick of Bhusandapur, was caught with the dead birds, according to Amlan Nayak, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Chilika Wildlife Division. A second person involved in the poaching attempt fled, and efforts are under way to trace him.

The seized carcasses included nine Northern Shovelers, 23 Northern Pintails and one Pheasant-tailed Jacana, all protected under the Wildlife Protection Act. Tissue samples have been sent to a forensic laboratory, and the bodies were buried after a post-mortem examination, the DFO said.

With thousands of migratory birds arriving at Chilika Lake since mid-October, the Forest Department has intensified surveillance across the 1,165 sq km lagoon, which spans the districts of Khurda, Ganjam and Puri.

Officials have stepped up round-the-clock patrolling, strengthened intelligence-gathering on poaching networks and deployed drones to detect illegal activity. Twenty-one temporary anti-poaching camps have been set up, with special focus on high-density bird congregation zones such as Nalabana and the Tangi range.

With PTI Inputs