The fact that birds have become dishes on the menus of restaurants and pubs has led to the formation of armies specializing in hunting birds for supply. The setting of traps, especially using opaque nets and sharp nets, by these subjects has put many bird species at risk of extinction. Notably, the swiftlets of swiftlet farming households have also been "collateral damage", causing economic losses to households.
With such a "matrix" of nets set up to catch wild birds by subjects like this, it is very difficult for birds to escape the trap.
Catch any bird
In Phu An and An Tay communes (Ben Cat town), the fields and gardens along the Saigon River are ideal conditions for many species of birds to live, nest, breed, and find food, such as: Storks, turtledoves, cuckoos, sparrows, etc. The ancients had a saying "good land attracts birds", but the presence of people who specialize in trapping birds has caused many species of birds to become extinct. Many species of birds that were commonly seen in people's daily life and production in the past are now almost nowhere to be seen.
According to local people, recently there has been a rise in the practice of setting up bird traps to exterminate birds, mainly to supply restaurants and eateries. According to local people, these people often go in groups and set up nets in fields and areas where birds often come to find food. With tens and hundreds of meters of opaque and sharp nets spread out like a "matrix" in the fields, it is difficult for any bird to escape. When the nets are set up, groups of people often use loudspeakers to make noise or use decoy birds to lure the birds.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thuy, a household raising swiftlets in An Thuan hamlet, Phu An commune, worriedly said that in 2019, his family invested 5 billion VND to build a house to raise swiftlets. On average, it takes about 3 years for the swiftlet houses to be harvested, so up to now, he has only recovered about 3 billion VND. However, recently, many groups of people have secretly set traps to catch wild birds, and many birds from his swiftlet house have become "victims". "Swiftlets often fly low to find food, so they are easily caught in the nets of these subjects. The decrease in the number will cause many difficulties for swiftlet farmers in raising flocks, slow flock development, leading to losses for farmers", said Mr. Thuy.
Sharing the same worry and frustration with the behavior of those who set traps to catch wild birds, Mr. Nguyen Van Luon in Lo O hamlet, An Tay commune said that the number of swiftlets in his family has not increased but has decreased compared to before. This has caused a significant decrease in his family's income. Households that borrow capital to invest face even more difficulties when the number of birds is unstable.
“The characteristic of swiftlets is that they usually stay in a stable place and look for food sources nearby. When the parent swiftlets go out to find food for their children and unfortunately get caught in a trap, it means that the baby birds in the nest will also die. In my birdhouse, many baby swiftlets have dried up and died in the nest. Once the flock of swiftlets does not grow and double in number every year, it means that the investment and income of the farming household will decrease,” Mr. Luon explained.
Will strictly handle those who set nets and catch birds to destroy them
Indignant at the bird hunting activities, many households raising swiftlets directly met with the subjects to request that they stop setting traps. Some groups collected their nets and left, but others were uncooperative because they believed that "birds of the sky and fish of the water" could be caught if they wanted. Many cases were challenged, repeated the behavior and were reported to the authorities by the people to handle, confiscate the tools and nets used to trap birds.
Speaking to reporters, Lieutenant Colonel Huong Cong Nhut, Chief of Phu An Commune Police, said that recently, groups of people from other localities have come to the area to use opaque nets to trap and exterminate wild birds. “The act of trapping birds, including swiftlets, by local households has caused a lot of frustration among the people. The commune police have also stepped up their efforts to mobilize and educate local people not to trap wild birds, which affects and causes damage to households raising swiftlets. When we detect and receive information from the people, we are there to handle the situation, confiscate the nets and tools used to trap birds, and force the subjects to sign a commitment not to re-offend,” said Lieutenant Colonel Nhut.
Meanwhile, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, Chairwoman of Phu An Commune People's Committee, said that in order to prevent the situation of trapping and catching birds, contributing to protecting the landscape and environment, the locality has increased propaganda to the people. For violations in the area, local leaders directed the commune police force to resolutely handle them. All violators were required to make a commitment to ensure that they would not re-offend in the future.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Dang Dinh Ha, Head of the Environmental Police Department of the Provincial Police, the department has recently organized and disseminated legal education, conducted inspections and handled subjects with violations of the law in the field of wildlife conservation and migratory birds. The Provincial Police have proactively coordinated with the Provincial Forest Protection Department, departments, branches and local authorities to launch propaganda campaigns to facilities that raise and trade ornamental birds, restaurants and eateries to commit not to buy, sell, display, advertise, or organize the slaughter of migratory birds and wild animals; at the same time, they have launched inspections and handled violations.
“We believe that the implementation plan of the authorities and localities in the coming time will help raise people's awareness in complying with relevant regulations, thereby contributing to preventing the situation of trapping and exterminating wild birds as well as other protected wildlife. Doing this well will contribute to protecting biodiversity, including wild and migratory birds as well as other important bird areas,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ha.
“In the coming time, the Provincial Police will continue to promote propaganda work so that people understand and master the legal regulations, absolutely do not hunt, keep, buy, sell, or transport migratory birds and wild animals. The unit will strengthen inspection and strictly handle subjects who set traps to catch wild birds and migratory birds, especially traps in areas where people raise swiftlets in the province. When detecting violations, people can report to the nearest police station or to the Environmental Police Department of the Provincial Police.” (Lieutenant Colonel Dang Dinh Ha, Head of the Environmental Police Department of the Provincial Police) |
MINH DUY - XUAN THI
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