Kaushambi, Jan 2 (IANS): A man has been arrested for allegedly being involved in illegal hunting of Siberian birds in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district, the police said.

The accused, identified as Arun, was caught carrying seven Siberian birds. He claimed that he had got the birds from a hunter in Alwara village where Mahewaghat's Alwara lake serves as a haven for migratory birds, especially Siberian species.

A video of Arun being caught with seven dead Siberian birds surfaced online on Monday.

Based on a complaint lodged by a Ranger of the Forest Department, the Mahewaghat police registered a case against Arun. He will be brought to Alwara village to identify the hunters involved in illegal hunting of Siberian birds.

Arun was hiding seven dead birds in his jacket.

The video of Arun taking out dead Siberian birds one by one from his jacket is going viral on social media.

According to official sources, hunters put some type of medicine in the lake water at night. Birds, who consume this medicine while drinking water, either faint or die. Then the hunters take them away and sell them.

Kaushambi is considered a winter haven for migratory birds fleeing the harsh Siberian cold. Thousands of feathered travellers, braving journey of thousands of kilometres, descend upon the wetlands and lakes of the region. The most prized visitors are the Bar-headed Geese, with their distinctive black and white markings.

The incidents of Siberian bird poaching in Kaushambi highlights the need for conservation efforts to protect these vulnerable creatures.

The illegal hunting of these birds not only disrupts the delicate ecological balance but also deprives future generations of witnessing this awe-inspiring natural phenomenon.