Thol birds’ plight gets national attention

The plight of birds troubled by fishing nets in Thol Lake has caught the attention of a member of the National Wildlife Board in India.

After reading the story reported by DNA on Thursday about how ten cormorants were rescued after being trapped in a net, a senior member of the NBWLI Prerna Bindra expressed shock over the forest department's apathy in a letter to the principal chief conservator of forest Pradeep Khanna.

"I was shocked to read the plight of the birds in a story in DNA on December 2, 2010. I do not need to stress how blessed Gujarat is to have these fecund wetlands and the number of resident and migrant visitors is a source of pride. But at the same time, it is a well-known secret that fishing is common in both Thol and Nalsarovar. This particular instance of a huge fishing net with floats so near the sanctuary gate --with birds caught going unnoticed is a sad, and telling, example of the protection we accord in our sanctuaries," she has written in the letter to Khanna.

Khanna reiterated that they are increasing patrolling and security measures at the lake, "Investigations are also going on. They have not yet identified anyone but soon will. It has to be an odd fellow as the villagers are all vegetarians and such incidence is uncommon," he said.

Bindra on her part is shocked and intends to take up the issue. "The Gujarat government had done a very good job following the lion poaching incidents. So we expect same level of protection and focus will be accorded for other wildlife species' conservation," she told DNA.

"Last time I visited Thol I saw thousands of cranes there. The lake has been identified as a very important bird sanctuary nationally and we cannot afford this kind of apathy," she added.