Orchard owners in Pirojpur are reportedly using banned monofilament nets, turning jujube (boroi) cultivation into lethal traps for birds.
Our correspondent visited a orchard on Thursday in Tona union which revealed a heartbreaking scene of such barbarity.
Addressing the matter, orchard owner Salauddin said, “Every day hundreds of birds come and spoil the jujube fruit. This net has been put up to protect the orchard”.
These prohibited nets are being utilised under the pretext of protecting jujube. Local bird species, including the Bulbul, Dove, Oriental Magpie-Robin (Doel), Myna (Shalik), and Bats, are frequently found dead in these traps.
Residents of Tona have alleged that for the past three years, such bird killings have occurred whenever the jujube season arrives.
Citizens and environmentalists have described the use of these expensive and illegal nets as a serious environmental crime, noting that it severely damages the ecosystem and leads to the loss of countless native birds.
Environmental activists have demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible.
Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Soumitra Sarkar said, “Killing birds in this way is a punishable offence under the Forest and Environment Conservation Act. Farmers are being advised to protect fruit without using nets. They are being discouraged from killing birds to protect the fruit.”
