Mystery over migratory birds' 'carcasses' deepens, no samples left for conducting tests, says Tripura Forest official

Udaipur (Tripura) [India], January 29 : Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Tripura Dr DK Sharma on Friday said that the forest department personnel did not find any bird carcasses at Udaipur's Sukh Sagar Lake under Tripura's Gomati district.
According to Sharma, the local Gram Pradhan told the forest personnel that there were dead birds over a hundred in numbers floating on the lake and adjacent low lying croplands.
"We have seen the videos and photographs but after day-long exercises by the local forest officials, we could not find any sample to conduct tests and ascertain the reason behind this mass killing or hunting whatever it is called", said Sharma.
Speaking to ANI, he also said that forest personnel shall continue their exercise to trace the dead birds. Since Friday morning, a good number of forest department teams have been pressed into action at various parts of the village where the incident has taken place.
The forest department has also issued a telephone number so that people can contact them if the hunters could be identified or any information regarding the dead birds is worth sharing. The department during their awareness campaign also specifically mentioned about the penalties sanctioned under various sections of cruelty against animal and forest acts.
The bird carcasses were found yesterday at Udaipur's Khilpara area. Soon after that District Forest Officer Mahendra Singh visited the spot and ordered a probe. But, the way the carcasses mysteriously disappeared from the spot shocked the forest department as well as the villagers.
Some sources in the forest department said that it could be an act of the predators who snared the birds in a death trap in the first place and on sensing trouble they disappeared the dead birds to destroy evidence.