(IN) mass culling of cormorants planned by District authorities

[Guest guest]

This is called " state sponsored terrorism against animals " . The District

Collector, Heads of all departments including the police,animal husbandry and

forests are members in the D.P.C.

The Idukki SPCA in a similar matter filed a case against 3 people for

cutting down the branches of a tree where the cormorants have roosted. All of

them were punished with imprisonment and fine.

 

Are all these govt officials unaware of the law of the land?

 

Online edition of India's National Newspaper

Monday, Sep 07, 2009

ePaper <http://epaper.thehindu.com/>

 

 

*Plan to cull cormorants draws flak *

Ignatius Pereira

Kollam District Planning Committee scheme to increase fish wealth

 

The little cormorant is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.

 

KOLLAM: A scheme under the Integrated District Development Plan (IDDP) for

Kollam to cull and reduce the population of the little cormorant

(Phalacrocorax niger) by 70 per cent is facing strong resistance from

environmental activists and organisations. The IDDP is a government document

prepared by the District Planning Committee.

 

Cormorants are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.

The IDDP scheme states that these fish-eating birds are a major cause for

the depletion of fish wealth in inland waterbodies. Fishermen depending on

inland water fishing for their livelihood have expressed concern over this

for long.

 

The IDDP report states that the time has come for controlling the little

cormorant population. The birds are gregarious in nature and are voracious

fish-eaters, the report says. 'Anyone observing the birds in inland

waterbodies will certainly endorse the concern of the fishermen.'

 

Gunning them down

The scheme aims at culling 70 per cent of these birds from its present

population of about 1,00,000 in the district. Under the scheme, an incentive of

Rs.5 a bird will be given to a trained person for shooting down the bird with an

air gun. The scheme has an outlay of Rs.4 lakh.

 

The outlay is for the cost of the air gun, pellets and training. The scheme

will be implemented during 2009-10 by the Fisheries Department in

coordination with the Forest Department and local self-government

institutions. Selected traditional inland fishermen will be trained for the

purpose.

 

The scheme states that the birds will be hunted only during evening when

they return to roost.

 

Grama panchayats in the district to be covered by the scheme are Alapad,

Chavara, Neendakara, Thekkumbhagam, Thevalakara, Thrikkaruva, Panayam, Munro

Thuruthu, Mayyanad, Thrikadavur, West Kallada, Perayam, Karunagapally,

Clapana, K.S. Puram, East Kallada, Poothakulam, Adichanallur, Panmana,

Paravur municipality and Kollam Corporation.

 

'Foolish plan'

K.K. Sivakumar, State Education Officer of the World Wildlife Fund, told *The

Hindu *that the scheme would be opposed. Terming the scheme 'foolish and a

violation of the law,' he said that since the birds are covered by the Wildlife

Protection Act it is the duty of the government to protect them.

 

Inland waterbodies are the natural habitat of the birds. If they are a

threat to fish farms, the owners can only strive to keep the birds at bay.

They cannot be eliminated.

 

He reiterated that the scheme would be opposed and the WWF would create

awareness against it if the government decided to go ahead with it.

 

Plan to cull cormorants draws

flak<http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/07/stories/2009090753550400.htm>

[Guest guest]

Dear Mr Babu,

There is a similar scheme in Canada. Several

organisations are protesting the move. You can read the paper here :

 

http://www.zoocheck.com/cdiwebsite/CDI%20Middle%20Island%20Cormorant%20Report%20\

PDF.pdf

 

I am forwarding this message to Rob Laidlaw of Zoocheck Canada in the hope

he might be able to provide some expertise for reconsidering the deal. But I

have the impression that the Kerala government does not care much about

opposition and goes ahead with their own decisions, no matter what.

 

I am also passing on your message to birdwatchers so they become aware of

this plan to slaughter these animals. I am alerting some environmental

lawyers too to consider if this could be challenged legally in court. Kindly

keep us informed.

 

Please feel free to call if there is anything else you want to discuss. I am

glad WWF is against the planned exercise.

 

Best wishes and kind regards,

 

 

 

 

On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 8:00 AM, AG BABU <agbabu wrote:

 

>

>

> This is called " state sponsored terrorism against animals " . The District

> Collector, Heads of all departments including the police,animal husbandry

> and forests are members in the D.P.C.

> The Idukki SPCA in a similar matter filed a case against 3 people for

> cutting down the branches of a tree where the cormorants have roosted. All

> of them were punished with imprisonment and fine.

>

> Are all these govt officials unaware of the law of the land?

>

> Online edition of India's National Newspaper

> Monday, Sep 07, 2009

> ePaper <http://epaper.thehindu.com/>

>

> *Plan to cull cormorants draws flak *

> Ignatius Pereira

> Kollam District Planning Committee scheme to increase fish wealth

>

> The little cormorant is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.

>

> KOLLAM: A scheme under the Integrated District Development Plan (IDDP) for

> Kollam to cull and reduce the population of the little cormorant

> (Phalacrocorax niger) by 70 per cent is facing strong resistance from

> environmental activists and organisations. The IDDP is a government

> document prepared by the District Planning Committee.

>

> Cormorants are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.

> The IDDP scheme states that these fish-eating birds are a major cause for

> the depletion of fish wealth in inland waterbodies. Fishermen depending on

> inland water fishing for their livelihood have expressed concern over this

> for long.

>

> The IDDP report states that the time has come for controlling the little

> cormorant population. The birds are gregarious in nature and are voracious

> fish-eaters, the report says. 'Anyone observing the birds in inland

> waterbodies will certainly endorse the concern of the fishermen.'

>

> Gunning them down

> The scheme aims at culling 70 per cent of these birds from its present

> population of about 1,00,000 in the district. Under the scheme, an incentive

> of Rs.5 a bird will be given to a trained person for shooting down the bird

> with an air gun. The scheme has an outlay of Rs.4 lakh.

>

> The outlay is for the cost of the air gun, pellets and training. The scheme

> will be implemented during 2009-10 by the Fisheries Department in

> coordination with the Forest Department and local self-government

> institutions. Selected traditional inland fishermen will be trained for the

> purpose.

>

> The scheme states that the birds will be hunted only during evening when

> they return to roost.

>

> Grama panchayats in the district to be covered by the scheme are Alapad,

> Chavara, Neendakara, Thekkumbhagam, Thevalakara, Thrikkaruva, Panayam,

> Munro

> Thuruthu, Mayyanad, Thrikadavur, West Kallada, Perayam, Karunagapally,

> Clapana, K.S. Puram, East Kallada, Poothakulam, Adichanallur, Panmana,

> Paravur municipality and Kollam Corporation.

>

> 'Foolish plan'

> K.K. Sivakumar, State Education Officer of the World Wildlife Fund, told

> *The Hindu *that the scheme would be opposed. Terming the scheme 'foolish

> and a violation of the law,' he said that since the birds are covered by the

> Wildlife Protection Act it is the duty of the government to protect them.

>

> Inland waterbodies are the natural habitat of the birds. If they are a

> threat to fish farms, the owners can only strive to keep the birds at bay.

> They cannot be eliminated.

>

> He reiterated that the scheme would be opposed and the WWF would create

> awareness against it if the government decided to go ahead with it.

>

> Plan to cull cormorants draws

> flak<http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/07/stories/2009090753550400.htm>