The Better India
At 5:15 one March morning, Harun walked into Khargram town market in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district wearing a T-shirt and shorts. He looked like any other early customer. That was the point. For two days, he had waited in the market with one purpose: to find a poacher who was allegedly selling poached short-toed larks and pipits, locally known as Bogari (migratory birds), for meat. Harun, whose name has been changed, is a member of HEAL, Human & Environment Alliance League, a non-profit organisation working for wildlife. He had come with a confirmed tip-off. Yet, for two mornings, he saw neither the birds nor the seller. Poachers use rolled mist nets to trap migratory birds in agricultural fields. On the third day, he noticed a man secretly selling the birds to unknown buyers after slitting their necks. Harun immediately alerted the police, who were trailing him in plain clothes. The man was arrested red-handed on the spot under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The live birds seized from the spot were later released. That arrest travelled fast through the poaching network. “The arrest sent shockwaves among the poachers’ groups. The poaching activities have drastically reduced in this region after four years of combined efforts made by the villagers, team members of the non-profit organisation, the local police, the forest department and the judiciary bench,” says the team. Two people were caught with trapped migratory birds and a mist net during action. “Ever since HEAL started intervening in 2022, more than 8-10 lakh birds have been indirectly saved as poaching attempts were actively intercepted by our field teams in the last four years. We liberated over 5000 birds alive,” informs Vasudha Mishra, project coordinator, HEAL. Why thousands of migratory birds come to Bengal’s fields Every year, millions of bird species, including short-toed larks and pipits, arrive in West Bengal during the migratory season that begins in October. Around 3-4 lakh larks and pipits migrate from Central Asia and Russia to the Murshidabad, Birbhum and Burdwan districts of West Bengal. Short-toed larks and pipits migrate to West Bengal from Central Asia and Russia. These small birds weigh around 16-24 grams and are about 14-15 cm long. They have a pale sandy-brown colour, dark streaks on the upper body, and a short, strong, conical beak. They feed on seeds and insects, enjoy mud baths, and make fallow ground their nesting space. The agricultural fields of Birbhum, Murshidabad and Malda become rich feeding grounds during the harvest season. The birds prefer long stretches of fertile land, especially areas close to wetlands. Murshidabad has the highest number of wetlands in West Bengal. Many of these areas are not declared national parks or wildlife sanctuaries. They are used by local communities, which makes them more vulnerable to hunting. The consumption of wild meat is also high in the region. For poachers, the large flocks become an opportunity. How poachers target the birds The timing of the hunting is linked closely to the birds’ migration cycle. When the birds arrive after long-distance journeys, their fat reserves are depleted and their body mass is reduced. From October to January, they feed extensively across agricultural landscapes, primarily on insects, to rebuild their energy reserves. This feeding period is critical for survival, as it prepares them for their return migration around March or April. By February, the birds have accumulated enough fat, which makes them more desirable for consumption. “The hunting begins in February. When these winged guests arrive, they tend to lose their weight. Their fat reserves get drained, and they turn meatless. The birds start feeding from October to January on whatever is available to fatten up and restore their energies to fly back by the end of March or early April. By February onwards, these birds gain weight, and the poachers start laying nets in the field,” Vasudha tells The Better India. Birds trapped in mist nets are removed by poachers before being sold for meat. There are two types of poachers involved in this trade. One group catches birds and sells them directly. The other hoards birds in bulk, collected by different bird thieves. The second group operates on a larger scale. “Poaching is carried out through highly organised and ecologically targeted methods that specifically target Bogari birds in agricultural fields from February onwards. Poachers operate in coordinated groups and install low-height nets, approximately three to four feet high, across harvested fallow fields where birds roost on the ground. Hunting typically takes place at dusk or during the night. Bright torchlight is used to startle resting flocks, causing them to take flight and collide with the nets,” explains Vasudha. The nets that trap hundreds in a single night Harun has seen how carefully these traps are prepared. “The hunters prepare the mist nets at home. The nets are ultrathin but strong, painted in red or black colours. Each net is interwoven with 20-22 thin bamboo sticks. The agricultural field is around 27 km long. They unravel the net to fix it on the ground. The nets are just above the height of knee level, which could stretch up to one to three kilometres. Several layers of nets are fixed behind one another,” discloses Harun. HEAL coordinator Vasudha Mishra removes mist nets used for trapping Bogari birds. According to him, the mist nets are like volleyball nets, which do not have width but can be up to 200 metres long. They are fixed around 500 metres away from the flock. After fixing the first net, the poachers place layers of nets behind each one, maintaining a distance of five to seven feet. They then sit behind the flock and the net to scare the birds. As the birds take short flights towards the net, those that miss the first net get caught in the second. The poaching activities are primarily carried out by local residents, including farmers, fishers and organised groups operating within villages. Along with direct hunters, some people aggregate and sell the birds to local markets and consumers. The poachers slit the birds’ necks before selling them. Customers buy the birds in bulk, as each one weighs only 20-24 grams. Bogari meat is considered extremely delicious locally. Curries and fritters are popular preparations. A dozen birds are sold for Rs.800 to Rs.900. When the birds disappear from the fields The loss is felt beyond the birds themselves. “Interestingly, the local farmers in Murshidabad cultivating maize and wheat were lamenting about their agricultural loss. They explained earlier that the cultivation was done without any pesticides. Now, even after spraying pesticides, they cannot get rid of insects. The reason they cited was that a single bird can feed almost 100 insects a day. Consider the vast number of insects that would have been consumed by eight to ten lakh birds throughout their three-month stay,” avers Harun. The larks live in enormous flocks and perform murmurations. A flock can have anywhere from 5,000 to 2,00,000 birds. HEAL members rescue trapped birds from mist nets during field interventions. Poachers lay nets at twilight and launch the attack after sunset, when the birds have settled on the ground. The poaching team beams torchlights at the birds. Frightened, they take flight and get trapped in the nets. In one attempt, 50 to 300 birds can be caught. Since the birds move in dense flocks, a single operation can capture hundreds. Some captured birds are stored alive in confined spaces. Many struggle to break free from the traps and injure their feathers, necks, feet and claws in the process. Poachers who catch live birds sell them for meat. Over 1.5 lakh birds were killed because of poaching nets laid across agricultural fields. Mridul Kumar, DFO, Nadia and Murshidabad, tells The Better India, “The poaching this year has been reported nil because of the widespread campaign and action taken against the poachers in the Kandi area of Murshidabad district. We have arrested one person involved with poaching. Our range officers conducted a joint campaign involving school children, local villagers, tribal communities and NGOs to protect these birds from poaching. Birds migrate in substantial numbers, but their census has not been done.” How villagers began reporting the nets For HEAL, the first task was to understand where the hunting was happening and who could help stop it. HEAL has a strong volunteer base across West Bengal, especially in rural areas. “One of our active members is a birder who informed us about the hunting of migratory birds for human consumption. The poaching activities happened at a large scale during the winter season. While searching for clues, he noticed invisible mist nets suspended between bamboo poles, where birds get entangled during mid-flight,” states Vasudha. To build zero tolerance against hunting, HEAL formed a strong investigative team. It began an initiative to eradicate the poaching of migratory birds used for consumption. Forest officials, police, villagers and HEAL volunteers joined field action. The organisation sought grants from WTI, Wildlife Trust of India, and started its campaign in December 2022. The team focused on Beel Belun, Patan Beel and Bharatpur Beel. They also knew that the wildlife crimes were being committed by locals, so they brought villagers into the effort. HEAL representatives put up posters with reporting details across villages. “The best way to collect information is to generate public awareness. A combination of public outreach, community engagement and participatory monitoring has been implemented to address the issue. Large metal signboards were installed across villages and wetland areas, prominently displaying messages that hunting of migratory birds is illegal and punishable under law, along with contact numbers for reporting violations. These boards served both as deterrents and as accessible reporting channels for local residents,” says Vasudha. HEAL representatives put up posters on Bogari poaching across villages. Awareness camps were also conducted in villages to build understanding about wildlife protection and the ecological importance of migratory birds. Over time, the effort brought a visible change in community behaviour. Local residents began supporting conservation actions, sharing anonymous information about poaching, and in some cases, removing trapping nets themselves before intervention teams arrived. This marked a shift from passive acceptance of hunting to active participation in prevention. When enforcement began to follow community action The territorial forest department was inactive in the beginning. Mobilising both the forest department and the police became important. “An organisation like us needs to sort out and hold the department accountable. HEAL started up in 2016. The impact of our initiative has been huge. Based on the seizure of nets even without a single bird on the ground, it was enough for the judicial magistrate to give a verdict on the perpetrators’ arrest,” confirms Vasudha. In one instance, HEAL had specific inputs about a resourceful poacher who was allegedly hunting on a large scale. Vasudha says the team, along with local police, conducted a raid at his residence and caught him red-handed. HEAL members helped officials apprehend people linked to bird poaching. The poacher had concealed several birds at his poultry hatchery. The birds were later rescued. After his arrest, the poacher was paraded in his village to send a message to others involved in the trade. HEAL has also found evidence of linkages between poachers and local actors. In some instances, villagers reported that lower-level enforcement personnel were accepting bribes in exchange for allowing illegal bird poaching to continue in areas under their watch. At the same time, community dynamics are varied. While some individuals participate in or enable poaching, others have become important allies by providing information and supporting interventions. This highlights both the challenge and the potential of community-based conservation. Villagers who became volunteers now uproot nets when they spot them. They also passed on messages about some beat officers who were hand in glove with the poachers. Based on the complaints, the DFO suspended them. “Enforcement actions have led to the arrest of 24 individuals since 2022 in the matter of bird poaching, particularly of lark poachers. While convictions remain limited due to systemic challenges, those arrested have faced short-term imprisonment, typically ranging from one to three weeks of judicial custody, granted by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate. In 2022, four poachers were arrested; five in 2023; six in 2024, while in 2025, nine hunters were arrested,” adds Vasudha. The villagers who became the birds’ first line of defence In Ishira village in Birbhum district, Kiran Hussein now watches the fields with care. “My house is close to the agricultural field. Any activity in the field cannot avoid my eyes. We are familiar with the people living in our village, but we can recognise men from neighbouring villages. When I noticed two men approaching the field with nets, I informed Harun, who, along with his team members, reached the spot and prevented poaching. Hunting has been stopped,” says Kiran. School students were selected to spread awareness against Bogari poaching. With Kiran’s assistance, HEAL organised a camp at a village school. Students were informed about the importance of migratory birds and the measures needed to prevent poaching. This kind of local vigilance has become central to the campaign. Releasing 5000+ birds back into the wild Around 4-5 lakh larks migrate every year to West Bengal. The scale of poaching has been substantial, with individual operations resulting in the capture and killing of hundreds of birds in a single attempt by one gang of poachers. “Given that such activities occur across multiple locations and continue over several months during the migration season, the cumulative number of larks and pipits ( Bogari ) that used to be killed, conservatively, is estimated to reach 1.5 to 2 lakhs annually within the region. Additionally, non-target species caught in large wetland nets often die and are discarded, further increasing the ecological impact,” informs Vasudha. HEAL coordinator Vasudha Mishra removes mist nets used to trap migratory birds. She adds that when birds try to free themselves, they often injure their feathers, feet, claws or necks. Only a few people know how to untangle birds from nets properly. Since 2022, over 5000 birds have been safely released into the open sky. The release location has to be secure, with no record of hunting or nets. In several instances, large numbers of birds were rescued in a single operation, sometimes exceeding 200 individuals. While removing the nets, uninjured birds were released at safer locations where no nets were found. The poachers were remanded to police custody for further interrogation before the trial began in court. The hunting has reduced because of mass awareness and enforcement that led to arrests. In 2023, the Calcutta High Court formed a humane committee across five districts of West Bengal to stop the killing of wildlife. “Migratory birds such as Bogari are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of India. However, there remains a significant gap between legal protection and effective enforcement on the ground, particularly in areas outside designated protected zones. Limited awareness, low prioritisation of wildlife crime, and weak institutional response have allowed illegal hunting of migratory songbirds and water birds to persist despite existing legal safeguards,” concludes Vasudha. For the villagers who now report nets, the police officers who reach fields before dawn, and the rescuers who untangle fragile wings from traps, the work continues across each migratory season. Each bird released back into the sky carries the meaning of that work. A life saved. A flock protected. A field learning to welcome its winged guests again.
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