Zoo worker held for poaching birds

CHENNAI: A labourer at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park was arrested for allegedly hunting water birds, protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, at a lake inside the zoo at Vandalur on Thursday.Forest officials said M Venket (22) of Vandalur was held for hunting four Little Egrets from Otteri Lake located inside the zoo. The zoo rangers, who caught the man, handed him over to the forest range officer at Velachery. The range officer filed a case, arrested the 22-year-old and he was remanded in judicial custody.According to forest officials, Venket worked at the zoological park for the past two years as a caretaker. Officials said Venket had caught four Little Egrets after setting a trap. “We do not know how he killed the birds after he caught them. But he had cut their legs probably to cook and eat them. When we enquired with him, he said it was the first time he killed birds,” said S Davidraj, Forest Range Officer, Velachery Range Office. After certification from a veterinary doctor, the dead birds were buried, he added.According to forest officials, the Otteri Lake, spread across 17 acres in the park, attracts a large number of migratory birds every year. Little Egret or Egretta garzetta is a small white water bird with dark grey-black legs, black bill and a bright yellow naked face. The bird feeds on insects, fishes and amphibians.