Pabna, Oct 02 VN7 - In Dhankunia village of Chatmohar Upazila, on Tuesday (October 1) morning, two bird hunters released 40 ducks after a journalist educated them about the laws regarding bird hunting. 

The incident occurred around 9 AM when journalist Iqbal Kabir Ranju was on his way to work at the college. He noticed the hunters with their van parked on the roadside and suspected something was wrong upon seeing the bird-catching equipment and two burlap sacks moving in the van.

Upon speaking with the hunters, they revealed that they had been trapping ducks in various beels (wetlands) in Chatmohar for the past few days. On Tuesday morning, they caught 40 ducks from the Boailmari beel between dawn and 8:30 AM and were planning to sell them for about 100 taka each.

Ranju explained the harmful effects of bird hunting and the legal ramifications involved. After understanding their mistake, the hunters agreed not to trap ducks anymore and opened the sacks, allowing the 40 ducks to fly into the open sky, thus escaping death.

Journalist Iqbal Kabir Ranju stated, "I've had a special love for birds since childhood. So, whenever I see bird hunting, I feel bad. I try to convince the hunters in various ways. In today’s incident, the two hunters easily understood my words and released the ducks. This brings me peace of mind."

When contacted, Additional Upazila Forest Officer Ejahid Hossain said that hunting and trapping wild animals is a legal offense under the Wildlife Conservation Act. He mentioned ongoing efforts to raise public awareness regarding this issue, which has also been discussed in Upazila Parishad meetings.

He emphasized that appropriate legal action would be taken against anyone who violates the Wildlife Conservation Act by capturing or selling wild animals. The forest officer called on the public to report any cases of hunting, capturing, buying, or selling wild animals and urged everyone not to purchase ducks or other edible wild birds or animals from hunters.

It is noted that the beels in Chatmohar, rich in wildlife, are often targeted by unscrupulous hunters who violate the law by trapping and selling ducks and other birds.

END/SR/RH/