In recent days, a network of decoy cranes has emerged along the Lap An lagoon shore in Hoi Dua village, Chan May - Lang Co commune. These styrofoam figures, crafted to resemble real cranes, are secured with bamboo sticks into the ground, dotting the land, lagoon banks, and shallow waters.
From a distance, these decoy cranes appear in clusters, mimicking a flock of birds foraging. Nearby, numerous bamboo sticks are coated with a strong adhesive.
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Decoy cranes set up to trap real birds along Lap An lagoon. *Vo Thanh* |
Hunters establish these decoy setups as bait, luring real cranes foraging over Lap An lagoon. When flocks land near the figures, they become ensnared in the glue traps. This tactic is commonly employed by hunters during the annual migratory bird season.
Lap An lagoon, characterized by its expansive waters, interspersed sandbanks, dense bushes, and shallow areas, offers an ideal habitat for numerous bird species to forage. During the rainy season, large flocks of migratory cranes frequently gather along the lagoon's shores to feed.
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Adhesive traps placed around the decoy crane setup. *Vo Thanh* |
Le Ngoc Tuan, head of the Hue City Forest Protection Department, stated that at the onset of the rainy season, his unit collaborates with local communes and wards to dismantle and destroy numerous tools used for hunting migratory cranes. At Lap An lagoon alone, they previously removed 530 decoy cranes and 1,200 adhesive sticks, destroying them on site.
Tuan emphasized that eradicating the hunting of wild birds during migration season requires cooperation from both local residents and commune authorities, in addition to the efforts of the forest protection force.
Under current regulations, illegal activities such as hunting, killing, raising, caging, transporting, storing, buying, selling, processing, or trading of wild migratory bird species are subject to administrative penalties. Fines range from one million dong to hundreds of millions dong, with potential criminal prosecution depending on the severity of the offense.
Vo Thanh
