INJURED EAGLE WITH TRACKING DEVICE SPARKS CONCERN IN DARBHANGA

DFO SAID IT WAS PART OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION EXERCISE TO TRACK MOVEMENT OF BIRDS AND GET INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR RESTING PLACES, SPEED AND FOOD

DARBHANGA: An eagle, fitted with a tracking device, was found injured on a paddy field in Habi Bhauar village under Bahera police station in Bihar’s Darbhanga district on Sunday evening leading to curiosity and speculation among villagers that it could be an espionage attempt, eyewitnesses said.

The station house officer (SHO) of Bahera police station, Raj Kumar Kushwaha, said on Monday that a mobile squad has been dispatched and that the higher authorities have been informed. “The senior officials told me to intimate the forest department officials to enquire into the matter. We immediately brought it to the notice of the forest department”, the SHO said.

A villager, identified as Mohan Thakur, said that a camera-like device was attached to the eagle’s body. “A tag with a seal- N 15 on its feet was clearly visible,” said Thakur, who had gone to the field for paddy harvesting on Sunday afternoon.

Forest department officials arrived at the spot and left the eagle covered under a protective mess.

Divisional forest officer (DFO) Subodh Kumar Gupta said it was part of wildlife conservation exercise to track the movement of birds and get information about their resting places, speed, and food.

“It probably had fallen ill. We have secured it. It is being fed and is doing fine. We are checking with our higher authorities about where to keep it. We do not know yet from where it was released,” the DFO said, adding it is being ascertained.