Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Police and wildlife officials are under pressure to act in North Lakhimpur. Maniram Das went viral on Instagram Sunday afternoon. The video showed him chewing on a live White-breasted Waterhen, a local bird known as Dauk. The bird was alive when Das bit its neck.
Outraged locals tracked Das down. They held him and forced him to sign a written promise that he would quit such behavior. They also administered their own brand of informal punishment. Conservationists are not satisfied. They want formal charges brought against him immediately.
The bird belongs to a protected species. Experts argue that the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 covers the incident. Wildlife and law enforcement agencies, including the Assam Police, the Assam State Biodiversity Board, and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, are now reviewing the matter. Conservationists warned that the footage risks emboldening others to commit similar crimes. As one conservationist noted, posting such acts on social media could encourage others to engage in cruelty towards wildlife.
Authorities must now decide on formal legal consequences. The public outcry remains high. The White-breasted Waterhen remains a protected wetland bird under state and federal law.
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