Berhampur: Patrolling has been intensified in and around Chilika lake, home to thousands of winged guests in winter, with ‘Chhadakhai' being celebrated Saturday. Most people will celebrate ‘Chhadakhai' Sunday as they will observe Sankranti on Saturday.
To safeguard the birds, the Chilika wildlife division has deployed modern surveillance tools, including drones and infra-red cameras, to monitor activities in vulnerable zones.
"We are utilising the infra-red camera in the lake to detect poaching activities at night," said Amlan Nayak, divisional forest officer (DFO), Chilika. "Patrolling has been intensified round-the-clock, particularly in Nalabana bird sanctuary and Tangi range," he said.
During Kartik, most Odias forgo non-vegetarian dishes until Purnima. The day after Purnima, known as ‘Chhadakhai', is when most eat non-vegetarian dishes.
Demand for non-vegetarian items like meat, chicken, eggs, and fish are likely to rise on Sunday. There is a fear of possible poaching of birds in Chilika, as waterfowl meat is in high demand in nearby towns.
The authorities are also creating awareness in nearby hotels, restaurants and dhabas to refrain from serving waterfowl meat. Also, checks on fishing boats, cycle, and motorcycles entering and exiting the lake area have been strengthened.
The DFO said that only one case of wildlife offence has been registered this migration season, with 16 individuals arrested last week for illegally entering Nalabana, a restricted zone.