Blind faith spells doom for birds

KENDRAPARA: Crow pheasant and white-breasted waterhen are falling prey to poachers and superstition. There is danger lurking in Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts where locals consume meat of these birds believing that it can cure tuberculosis and pulmonary ailments.
"These species are deliberately poisoned and poached for meat. If this continues unabated, the birds will soon feature in the extinct list of species," said Gahiruddin, an ornithologist.
Crow pheasant and white-breasted waterhen, locally known as kumbhatua and dahuka respectively, are listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The years have witnessed a decline in population of these two species.
Village quacks often prescribe meat of these local birds for ailments which puts poachers into action. The birds are sold for anything between Rs 100 and Rs 200. Driven by stark poverty, people belonging to Kela tribe often hunt these birds and the forest officials have so far failed to put a check on such activities.
"Some believe meat of dahuka and kumbhatua can cure rheumatism," said Sudhanshu Parida, the secretary of the district unit of People for Animals.