Farmers in the countryside have illegally trapped so many birds that have pushed many species to the brink of extinction. The birds have fallen victim to the ‘seasonal job’ which sees farmers using tape recordings of bird calls to attract their prey.
The recordings ring out throughout the evening until early morning; and are done openly in the paddy fields without fear or prosecution.
The birds are attracted to the recordings, either as a challenger to another territorial male or as a potential mate. Much like drift net fishing, poachers place large vertical nets around the recorder and wait for unsuspecting birds to fly into them.
The trade is so lucrative it has spun off side-services. A recording of bird sounds is now sold in countryside markets for about VND1.4 million (US$78) – equivalent to 280 kilograms of rice.
As poachers earn about VND225,000 ($13) for a catch of 15 birds a night on average, the investment can be recouped within the week.
While that works out well for the farmers, the ecological habitat pays the true price of the trade.
Generally, water hens, egrets, sparrows and swifts are targeted by the trappers.
Aside from selling the birds as meat, there is a market for live sales of sparrows and swifts on days that culminate in a full moon – when worshippers at pagodas believes that by setting birds or fish free will bring prosperity, good health and good luck.
The poaching has been going on in rural areas for years; and to date there hasn’t been any effective countermeasures deployed by authorities to curb the trade.