Monday, July 13, 2009 . City . Page 3Animal lovers rescued the birds – guarded under Wildlife Protection Act – from becoming broth at the hands of tribal kids at Uran mudflats
Three baby white-breasted kingfishers landed in the soup near the Uran mudflats after being caught by hungry young tribals, but escaped becoming broth after they were rescued by two alert birdwatchers. Oceanography student Nitin Walmiki and his friend Amol Kumbhar, who is studying environmental science, visit the mudflats every Sunday for a research project they have undertaken. When they take a break from work, they take the opportunity to bird-watch.
This Sunday, while they were at an area called Ram-baan in Nhava-Sheva, they spotted something suspicious.
“We saw three children climbing trees. After taking a quick glance around, they threw something in a drum-like container,” recounted Kumbhar.
The sound that emerged from the drum sounded like a kingfisher, so the two took the boys in confidence and peeped inside. “We saw three kingfishers, barely a couple of months old,” said Kumbhar.
“They told us they would cook the birds and eat them. It was shocking,” said Walmiki.
The boys were clearly unaware that the birds were protected by the law, and that according to the Wildlife Protection Act, it is illegal to even keep them, let alone consume them. Not wanting to lodge a complaint against the young offenders, Nitin and Amol decided to counsel them instead.
“We explained to them that the birds are important for nature and should not be eaten,” Walmiki added.
The tribals said they would have sold the birds for Rs 10 each had they not eaten them. Nitin handed over the cash and brought the birds home.
Since the birds are a month old and cannot fly, the students will leave the birds with an NGO – Plant and Animal Welfare Society – before releasing them in the forest.
And as for the tribals, they’ve at least got some food for thought to chew on for a while…
How to spot the bird
Also called white-throated kingfisher, the white-breasted kingfisher is a bright turquoise blue bird with a chestnut-coloured body and white throat. Adult birds are very bright and attractive, while younger ones are relatively dull. Young ones are usually spotted post-monsoon, which is the breeding season. They are the only kingfishers who feed on insects in addition to consuming fish.
