Man jailed, fined for destroying 27 Baya Weaver nests, killing chicks over paddy damage

A mobile court in Boalkhali upazila of Chattogram has sentenced a man to seven days' imprisonment without labour and fined him Tk20,000 for destroying 27 nests of Baya Weaver birds and killing at least 29 chicks after claiming the birds were damaging his paddy field.

The verdict was delivered this afternoon by Boalkhali Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Executive Magistrate Mehedi Hasan Faruk.

The convicted man, Bacha Mia, 48, is the son of Nurul Islam and a resident of the Popadia area of the upazila.

Confirming the matter, Faruk said the drive was conducted following complaints from local environmental and wildlife conservation activists.

"According to villagers, the accused removed 27 nests of weaver birds from a palm tree and killed around 56 chicks, while also destroying many eggs. During our operation, we found around 29 dead chicks along with several broken eggs at the scene," he said.

He added that the accused confessed to the crime, saying he carried it out because the birds were eating paddy from his field.

The court sentenced him under Section 38 of the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012 and sent him to jail after imposing the fine.

Siddiqur Rhaman Rabbi, president of the Nature Conservation Alliance, who was present during the operation, said the palm tree from which the nests were removed was located far from the accused's home.

"Locals tried to stop him, but he still carried out this act," he said.

He added that weaver birds are beneficial, as they help farmers by feeding on insects in paddy fields.