Agartala (Tripura) [India], January 28 (ANI): Carcasses of several hundred migratory birds have been recovered on Thursday from the Sukh Sagar lake area located at the Khilpara area under Udaipur of Tripura's Gomati district.

Soon after the dead birds were spotted near the lake area, the concerned officials from the forest department were informed. A team of Forest personnel led by DFO Gomati district Mahendra Singh visited the spot and instructed for a thorough inquiry.

Speaking to ANI over the phone, Singh did not divulge anything concrete but said that he had ordered a probe and a report is being prepared on the incident.

Sub-divisional Forest Officer Kamal Bhowmik said that the matter is under investigation. According to preliminary reports, these birds were coming to Udaipur for the last six-seven years. These birds actually arrive from California and in extreme weather conditions in their actual habitat during this period they prefer to arrive at Tripura in the winter seasons.

Local sources claimed that a good number of birds were taken away by the locals for eating. Some sources also said that people were found to be hunting these birds for eating purposes. Locals also said that this could be a reaction to pesticides used in the croplands adjacent to the lake.

"We have seen people taking away the dead birds. Some people stuffed the bird carcasses in sacks and took them away to home. We don't know the reason, why they have taken it", said a local passerby. The bird carcasses were found spread over vast paddy fields and the water of the lake.

It is also worthy to be mentioned here that Tripura's rich biodiversity makes the state an ideal location for the migratory birds to come here and stay during the winter season in specific. Thousands of rare birds come here to enjoy the winter season and lakes located across the state record sightings of various extinct species that are spotted rarely across the globe. (ANI)