Odisha: How Poachers Have Turned Bird Protectors in Mangalajodi Village

It may sound like a fairy tale but a village of 85 families in Odisha’s Mangalajodi has been able to script a story that may inspire millions.

It could never have been imagined some years ago that the people in Mangalajodi and adjoining areas, who were said to be “professional poachers” of many migratory birds, have now become bird guides and are playing a crucial role in their conservation.

Mangalajodi is a witness to an extraordinary journey of conservation of wildlife. From a hunting ground to now a safe paradise.

From platefuls of Hornbill meat being served in hotels and roadside joints once, nothing short of a criminal act now under the law, several old-time poachers- turned-protectors are now hounding the new ones and handing them over to the Forest Department authorities.

Although Mangalajodi is an outcome of the extreme salinity in Chilika Lake (the largest brackish water lake), it has been attracting migratory birds a few kilometers away from the Nalabana bird sanctuary. As a result,  these days bird watchers can be seen heading toward Mangalajodi in wooden boats to witness the spectacle of nature.

The Mahavir Pakshi Suraksha Samiti, founded in 1977, is said to have ushered in the change in Mangalajodi, led by one man who was once infamous as a poacher.

It is said that he killed a rare bird called Egret with an airgun and that was perhaps the last pellet he had fired.

“I could not sleep the whole night, guilt was weighing on me and the entire scene of poaching birds in this marshy wetland made me feel ashamed of myself,” were the words of Nanda Kishore Bhujbal.

Painful Recollections  

Bhujbal recollects, “We caught them in a net and twisted their necks. Or we poisoned the small fish in the wetlands, and when the birds ate them, they died a quick death.” Then, they were sold like hot cakes.

In fact, the entire village of Mangalajodi had taken this route earn livelihood. 

“Until over a decade ago, the primary livelihood of nearly a hundred families in Mangalajodi was killing, selling and eating birds – a majority of them migratory, from far-flung parts of the world” recalled Bhujbal.  

Soon the winged guests, perhaps, sensed the danger and a drastic fall in their visits was noticed.

A decade ago, people feasting on the meat of these migratory birds was a common sight in dhabas (eateries).

Bhujbal said he decided to renounce poaching and stood up to the most notorious poachers in the area, braving knife threats, and eventually creating the Mahavir Pakshi Suraksha Samiti, which was the beginning of a long, painful transformation in the village.

A ‘One Man’ Initiative

The year was 1997 – and the challenge wasn’t just about changing mindsets, but offering sustainable alternative livelihoods. Enter the concept of eco-tourism, facilitated by an organisation called Indian Grameen Services.

Today, while sailing on a wooden canoe, one could see that the number of birds in Mangalajodi has gone up from 3,000-odd to over three lakhs, as per a census by the Forest Department.

“Today, 85 families in Mangalajodi make their living through tourism. By day, they work as birding guides, boatmen and hospitality staff” Bhujbal added.

“By night, they patrol the marshlands on rotation to check any illegal poaching, since protecting the birds is their primary source of livelihood now” said Shaikh Abedin, an ardent bird lover and wildlife photographer.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Odisha.