Guwahati, July 20: The Channa barca, with their striking patterns and elusive nature, is highly prized in the illegal wildlife market. Their natural habitat—metre-deep burrows along the wetland peripheries—makes them difficult to find and even harder to capture. During the monsoon, these fish emerge from their hidden chambers to hunt and breed, making them vulnerable to poachers.
Kaziranga National Park authorities have arrested a person who is part of a gang smuggling Channa barca fish, a snakehead fish which inhabits the riverside floodplain areas, beels etc.
Based on intelligence inputs, dated July 19 at around 10 pm Haldhibari beat staff and Kaziranga Range HQ staff stopped one white colour Hyundai Eon car ( Reg no: AS 02 J 4968) and carried out search operations. During search operations staff of Haldhibari beat and Range HQ staff found 4 live Channa barca fish inside from the search vehicle. Immediately, Gunabhiram Das, Forester -I seized the four nos Channa barca fish along with a white colour Hyundai Eon car ( Reg no: AS 02 J 4968) and wildlife offence case registered as per procedure under Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and 51 of Wildlife Protection ( Assam Amendment) Act 2009.
“One person namely Taibur Rahman of Nagaon district in Assam the main accused has been arrested related to this case. Investigation is going on to nab the other accused involved in this case” a park official said.
Channa barca is known “Barka cheng” or “Cheng Garaka in Assamese.
“It is a rare species of snakehead fish endemic to the upper Brahmaputra river basin in India’s North East and Bangladesh. This snakehead fish is attractive to look at and has high ornamental value amongst specialist aquarists, in national and international markets. Since it is rarely available and restricted to only a particular region of the Brahmaputra basin, it has become extremely expensive over the years and is highly in demand in the illegal wildlife trade” the park official said.
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