Tuesday April 29, 2008, 8:04 pm
October 17, 2007

Chairman

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

Ministry of Environment and Forests

Paryavaran Bhawan

CGO Complex,

New Delhi - 110003

*Subject: *Cross border smuggling of owls along Indo – Bangladesh border.

Dear Sir,



We are writing to you from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

(PETA) India to draw your attention to a recent news report which states

that owls are smuggled along the Indo – Bangladesh border. A copy of this

news report published in the Asian Age on 8 October 2007 is attached for

your reference.

We humbly request you to kindly issue directions to forest officials to

prevent poaching, and also initiate appropriate educational programmes to

bring in awareness amongst the people to protect these species.

Sir we are depending on you to probe into this matter and take stern action

against all those involved in this crime.



Sincerely,

Sachin Bangera

Campaigns Coordinator

Encl: As above

Tuesday April 29, 2008, 8:07 pm
Owl adds new twist to smuggling


Subhasish Chaudhuri

Kolkata: This is a problem which is keeping the state forest officials in Nadia district of West Bengal awake at nights. The reason is an unusual spurt in cross border smuggling of owls. Out of 33 species of owls available in India, the barn owl (white owl), an endangered species protected under wild life preservation act, 1972 is high on demand. The nocturnal birds are hunted for their eyeballs which are supposed to have high medicinal value. Interestingly, some time ago it was human hair that was in great demand among the smugglers for the making of wigs. However, with the increase in the demand for owls, smuggling along the Indo-Bangladesh border in bordering districts of West Bengal has reached a new high.

With the lure for lucre, the villagers residing in bordering Karimpur and Chapra in Nadia district and Jalangi in adjacent Murshidabad district have been hunting for these precious birds at night. The villagers have also been prowling old abandoned houses where owls usually hide during the day.

The owl trade came to light recently when the BSF official seized one such consignment in Murshidabad. Sources said people in Kacharipara, Sarkarpara and Gopalpur ghat areas in Nadia and Jalangi in Murshidabad owl-trapping has become a cottage industry.

Although they have rescued many owls from the smugglers, the forest officials have never bothered to find out the exact reason behind such unusual hunting of owls. Divisional forest officer (Nadia-Murshidabad), Ms Lipika Roy, who joined office recently, said: "We have decided to approach the police to know the findings of its interrogation of the smugglers arrested recently." Sources revealed that hakims practising Unani medicine in Bangladesh use the eyeballs of owls to prepare medicines.

A booby trap covered with net attached to a long stick is being used to catch owls. The smugglers are now spreading their racket by roping in local boys, whom they pay Rs 50 for just providing information about an owl’s nest.

Sirajul Mandal, a smuggling agent of Kacharipara claimed that a barn owl weighing between 500 grams to 1 kg fetches them Rs 5,000 and one above 1 kg Rs 10,000.

Sources claimed that white owls and black owls are in heavy demand in Bangladesh mainly for export to European countries.

Their eyeballs, skin and feather roots are widely used for medicinal purposes and sold at a high price. In Bangladesh, export of an owl weighing one kg fetches 100,000.

Dr Arpan Mukherjee of En-Act, a nature care organisation in Nadia expressed serious concern over this unusual trend of smuggling. The organisation has already launched an awareness campaign in different parts of the district.

Recently, villagers in Nabadweep-Satpukuria came out to resist the smugglers when they were trapping owls from an abandoned brick field.

Wednesday April 30, 2008, 4:39 pm
Thnx Naresh!

Thursday May 1, 2008, 7:50 am
Disgusting... will humans EVER learn??

Thursday May 1, 2008, 12:24 pm
Bangladesh has been a scourge since the 70s war and India taking up cudgals on its behalf. We here in Calcutta know for a fact that besides owls, cows, tiger parts and elephant tusks, people are also being smuggled, like Al Quida terrorists. Calcutta is a maze that is a haven for many undesirables. The Govt. turns a blind eye and grants them cards to show citizenship. So can owls and cows really feature high on the agenda?