Berhampur: Wildlife officials on Wednesday arrested a 48-year-old poacher for allegedly hunting birds in the Chilika lake at Bidharpursahi near Bhusandpur under Tangi forest range of Chilika wildlife division.
“As many as 18 carcasses of four bird species were seized from him,” Amlan Nayak, divisional forest officer of Chilika, said.
The carcasses were of 14 grey-headed swamphen, two lesser whistling duck and one each of pheasant-tailed jacana and bronze-winged jacana.The poacher was identified as Bhagirathi Swain.
“He was caught while carrying the bird carcasses to the market for sale. We suspect he also wanted to keep some for himself,” Nayak added.
Following a postmortem, the birds were buried. “The poacher is suspected to have poisoned the birds in the lake. Their tissue samples will be sent to the Centre for Wildlife Health in Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology and to the State Forensic Science Laboratory, Bhubaneswar for toxicological analysis,” Nayak said.
On July 3, wildlife personnel arrested two bird poachers at Deipur under Tangi range of Chilika wildlife division. The carcasses of 15 birds of two species, grey-headed swamphen (14) and a water cock, were seized from them.
Last month, a bird hunter at Tentuliapada was arrested and the carcasses of two open-billed storks, a scheduled animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, and a bird, were seized from his possession, sources said.
“Poachers usually become active after withdrawal of the anti-poaching camps in March. Patrolling has been intensified in the lake and a strict vigil is being kept on the movement of poachers,” Nayak said.
Though there was not a single poaching case registered in Chilika during the bird migration season last winter, it was seen that the hunting of waterfowls continued unabated during that time.

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