Farmers uses fishing net for protection of fields, causing harm to birds, bats

Members of the Orugallu Wildlife Society (OWLS) went on a birding trip to the place on Tuesday, which was when they found four birds and a bat trapped in the fishing net

Sangareddy: The use of fishing nets around agriculture fields to protect crops is proving costly for birds.

Four birds, a spotted owlet, an Indian nightjar, a laughing dove and a green bee-eater, apart from a bat, died after getting trapped in a fishing net that was put up at a field between Rudraram-Edlapally villages in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.

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Members of the Orugallu Wildlife Society (OWLS) went on a birding trip to the place on Tuesday, which was when they found four birds and a bat trapped in the fishing net.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Shyam, a member of OWLS, said farmers were placing these discarded fishing nets to protect their fields from birds, monkeys and other wild animals unaware of the danger that it poses to the life of birds. Many birds were dying after getting trapped in the net.

The birds would go hungry for days after they were trapped, and would die since none would come to their rescue. A number of such incidents were being reported across the State, he said, urging Forest officials and local panchayat officials to educate the farmers to stay away from using fishing nets.