Though the Department of Forest is very much aware of the open destruction of the wildlife preservation policies and open trade of different species, the existing laws in Bangladesh are too feebly imposed to effectively restrict the trade of various species of endangered birds and conserve the rich biodiversity. This is due to lack of awareness and adequate staff, sources said.

As per the Wildlife Preservation Act of 1974, animals including dogs, cats, hares, lovebirds, pigeons and quails, which can be bred in custody, are permitted for commercial trading. The deputy secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forest of Bangladesh, Nazrul Islam stated, “It is a criminal offence to sell or purchase wild birds for keeping in captivity or breeding, but you can buy exotic birds bred in captivity.” On the contrary, exotic and endangered species of birds are still being traded across the country while the authorities have kept their eyes closed. Bird species like munia, parakeet, hill mynah and dove are a magnet for a large number of customers in the pet-outlets of Dhaka and other cities. Most of these are situated at Katabon and a number of isolated pet markets in the city.

“I don’t know if such a law exists...how come no one charged us for anything after all these years of business.” This was the sentence said by Munir, a salesperson of a pet shop at Katabon who was observed selling cage full of black-headed and white-throat munias. Numerous other pet-shops and portable traders, who go door to door with cages of small, chirpy wild birds, run brisk business all through the year. A roaming pet vendor named Moktar Hossain, who was seen with cages full of green munias and parrots when asked for said that he is not aware if his birds are wild or were bred in captivity as he purchased them from another seller. “Birds are birds...does it really matter if they are wild or not wild because everyone likes them for what they really are,” said Hossain.

Birds including spotted doves, rose-ringed parakeets, Alexandrine parakeets, blossom-headed parakeets, red munias, green munias, black-headed munias, white-throat munias, hilly mynahs and some finches which are rare and exotic species are being sold in major cities in Bangladesh. These unusual birds draw customers who are unaware of the actuality that these birds could be on the international list of endangered species. According to experts, regardless of the enforcement of the Wildlife Preservation Act, trading in birds and other wild species is thriving and is existing eco-system in a hazard situation. A large section of urban dwellers simply fall short to understand the significance of wildlife protection.

Meanwhile the importance of protecting nature through conservation of wild birds remains a top outline of the local green groups. “The blame for not enforcing the Wildlife Preservation Act properly should be put on the Department of Forest, as it is their responsibility to create awareness among public and assist the police to recognize wildlife crime offenders,” says an expert of World Conservation Union (IUCN), Munjurul Khan. He also stated, “Without assistance from the Department of Forest the police can barely do anything as they cannot identify wild birds and are ill-equipped to handle the situation.” According to the officers of Department of Forest, the sheer vastness of the city and the lack of specialized manpower in the department make conservation of the endangered species more sensitive and difficult in the capital. “It is a fact that a corrupt section of the society is involved in these illegal trades, but we simply lack the manpower to bring any huge changes,” said Sultan Ahmed, deputy secretary of Department of Forest. “We will discuss the issue with the law enforcement authorities and see if we can do anything different,” was added by him.