Decoy swallows are used to lure birds into the traps. VNA/VNS Photos Xuân Tiến

NGHỆ AN – For almost a month, residents of several communes in Diễn Châu District in the central province of Nghệ An have been taking advantage of the seasonal migration of wild birds by setting up large-scale nets to trap them.

The birds flock to the area seeking shelter and food during the rainy season, but residents can make money selling them to eat or as part of the illegal wildlife trade.

Despite active campaigns by the provincial Forest Protection Department and other authorities warning against the practice, many residents still brazenly continue to trap and catch wild birds.

This method of indiscriminate hunting has severely impacted the bird population and has harmed the natural ecosystem.

Every year, during the rainy season from August to November, residents in coastal and near-coastal areas like Diễn Kim, Diễn Hùng, Diễn Hải, Diễn Hoàng, Diễn Mỹ and Diễn Phong set up nets, sticky glue traps, or bait and broadcast bird sounds to trap swallows, storks, herons and egrets.

After the harvest season, tens of hectares of fields in these areas are covered with bird-trapping nets.

The nets are densely spread across the fields to trap birds.

The nets, made from thin but durable white thread with fine mesh, are densely spread across the fields, creating death zones for wild birds as they come down to feed or fly over.

To reinforce the net systems, bird hunters use numerous support poles, each equipped with bells that ring when birds get caught in the net.

Across fields, marshlands, ponds and river mouths, makeshift huts are set up for bird hunters during the trapping season. Next to these huts are numerous bird cages, tubes of sticky glue and equipment like batteries and speakers broadcasting fake bird sounds. Scattered piles of feathers, remnants of bird processing, can also be found in many areas.

Bird decoys such as storks and swallows which are used to lure flocks down to the traps, have had their eyelids sewn shut by the hunters, causing them to flap their wings helplessly. Dead swallows can also be seen left behind in the nets.

Efforts to take action

Lê Văn Thông, Chairman of the People's Committee of Diễn Kim Commune, said that for many years, residents during the rainy season had trapped and caught wild birds in the fields bordering Diễn Hải Commune and in the mangrove areas near the Lạch Vạn Estuary.

To prevent this, the local government has directed police and land management forces to develop a plan to tackle the hunting and trapping of wild birds.

A swallow caught in a hunter's net.

In many semi-mountainous areas like Diễn Phú, Diễn Lợi, Diễn Lâm, Diễn Hoa and Diễn Thái in Diễn Châu District, where the sparsely populated landscape is scattered with fields and forests, bird hunters have also been setting up traps. The Forest Protection Department of Diễn Châu District has identified these areas as hot spots for the hunting and trapping of wild birds.

Thái Bá Thế, Chairman of the People's Committee of Diễn Phú Commune, noted that despite efforts to raise awareness and asking for help from police, residents continue to use glue traps and other methods to capture birds.

The local government plans to direct the commune police to conduct surprise raids to crack down on the trapping of wild birds, while also reviewing and inspecting individuals in order to enforce strict penalties.

To protect wild birds during the storm season, the Forest Protection Force has conducted numerous raids, seizing and burning thousands of fake storks, tens of thousands of glue sticks, dismantling various structures used by bird hunters as hideouts and releasing hundreds of decoy birds back into the wild.

But the practice of indiscriminate hunting and trapping continues.

Trần Ngọc Quyền, Deputy Head of the Diễn Châu District’s Forest Protection Department, stated that their unit has actively and proactively deployed forces and organised raids on hot spots where wild birds are hunted and trapped.

The biggest challenge, however, is the large area they are tasked with overseeing, as their unit is understaffed and spread too thin across many communes.

Currently, the department is intensifying efforts to raise awareness and encourage people to comply with the directives issued by the Diễn Châu District’s People's Committee and to continue enforcing Prime Ministerial Directive No. 4 on the protection of wildlife.

On August 12, the Diễn Châu District’s People's Committee issued a directive instructing communes, towns, the Forest Protection Department, the District Police and the Diễn Thành Border Guard Station along with other relevant departments to widely inform residents not to hunt, trap or illegally trade wild birds. – VNS