Manipur wildlife teams seize traps and find dead birds in anti-poaching push

Imphal: Forest officials and wildlife activists swept through Imphal West district on Sunday to shut down illegal bird hunting. They seized various traps and found two dead birds. The operations involved the Joint Co-ordination Committee on Wildlife and Biodiversity along with local forest beat offices under the watch of Range Forest Officer Kiranjit Yumnam.

Teams hit the open fields of Tharoijam first. They moved in after reports of airguns and traps. The Iroisemba Beat Office crew hauled in three traps and recovered the dead birds. Officials disposed of the bird remains and locked the traps at the beat office.

A second team scouted the Khamenbi Lamyai wetland in Mayang Imphal. JCCWB member Shrinibash Waikhom led the search through nearby paddy fields. They found and ripped out several netting arrays. The crew burned the seized nets outside the Mayang Imphal Forest Beat Office.

JCCWB convenor Romesh Ningthoujam pointed to the extent of the damage. He noted, "The wetland operation uncovered evidence of widespread netting at several locations." Ningthoujam warned that anyone caught hunting with airguns or traps faces prosecution under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Range Officer Yumnam pledged to keep watching these sensitive areas to stop further poaching.