Honour India’s ‘Birdman’ Salim Ali, Stop Bait-Photography

Salim Ali, the Birdman of India.

(Photo: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

Salim Ali spent many years of his life to acquaint us with the beautiful world of birds. He was a nature historian who recorded the activities scientifically. According to Salim Ali, “The excitement (of ornithology or birding) lies in ferreting clues, and then following them up step by step to the discovery or confirmation of a fact or facts, of which one has obtained a suspicion or hunch.”

Though the ‘Birdman of India’ himself used the term ‘bird-watching’ to describe what he did, there exist slight differences in the two terms – birding and bird-watching.

According to the magazine, Birding, birding is ‘the hobby in which individuals enjoy the challenge of bird-study, listing, or other general activities involving bird life’. On the other hand, bird watcher has been described as ‘a rather ambiguous term used to describe the person who watches birds for any reason at all, and should not be used to refer to the serious birder.’

The point of difference between the two lies in the element of challenge that in inherent in the former, confirmed by the summation of Ali himself. However, these two terms are used somewhat synonymous in the present, when the hobby is increasing at an exponential rate. Modern world has added a new element to the hobby that has become somewhat inseparable like the good old binoculars. That element is a camera.

Photography has become an indispensable part of bird-watching. Social media has expanded the realm of ‘sharing’ and this has contributed to an increase of photography in every field and bird-watching is no exception.

Uttarakhand is an important bird-watching destination in the country providing a habitat for more than 50% birds of India.

In the last decade, resorts in birding hotspots like Binsar have skyrocketed. A recent phenomena beginning to creep up steadily to attract bird photographer is ‘hides’- a facility to watch the avian incognito. Here, it is easy to capture the birds in the digital realm.

A bird hide near Nainital.(Photo Courtesy: Medha Pande)

‘Photo Hides’ – Not Very Fauna Friendly

This concept may seem very fauna friendly in the first glance, however, they hide a bitter truth. Most hides provide baits to the birds. Different items for different species are also laid out to attract some specific ones. This makes hides an oasis of easy water and tasty food for the birds among the tough life of a jungle.

If birds still remain out of bounds after offering food, bird-calls and mating calls are played to attract them. As a result, bird-photography becomes very easy.

These have varied repercussions. It alters the natural diet of the beings, discourages natural selection due to lack of a fight for resources and can alter behaviour including migration pattern. In the lean period of the resorts, in the absence of baits, the birds used to the easy food, face intense psychological pressures and wanton dangers in the search for food. Feeding selective items can also result in inadequate nutrition.

A research has pointed out that a congregation of wild beings in such a close proximity to the humans can exchange diseases. Crowding and contamination in hides can increase the susceptibility of birds to infections like avian conjunctivitis. Artificial bird calls can be disastrous for birds and bird breeding leading to distraction from courtship and nest-guarding.

A pair of male and female (male-black and female-brown) Kaleej pheasant feeding in a hide. Please notice the food strewn around.(Photo Courtesy: Medha Pande)

Not Just Unethical But Also Illegal

The above are all unethical reasons to stop the practice of bait-photography, but there exists a legal footing as well. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 includes baiting in the category of hunting. This means, a person employing baits is liable to be charged for hunting. Perhaps baiting and feeding is equally harmful for the wild animals as well.

Hides and similar structures like machans are an indispensable part of photography and wildlife observation without disturbing the target.

Salim Ali himself used minimalistic hides to study birds and decode their behaviour. Before him, in the 1920’s, FW Champion, who can be considered a pioneer in wildlife photography, employed live baits to click tigers. Both of them contributed immensely to the study of the animals and also generated awareness to stop hunting and start conserving them.

The number of such men was much less then than it is now. Also, their writings showcase the distinctive expertise, ethical approach and a sense of responsibility inbuilt in them.

A Himalayan bulbul with a piece of papaya used as bait in a hide.(Photo Courtesy: Medha Pande)

However in the present times, bird watching tourism has increased in quantity. This increase is accompanied by an increase in habitat intrusion, vehicular pollution, waste generation etc.

Apart from that, rights of animals have begun to be recognised, as have the harmful effects of psychological distress in them. We have also progressed well ahead in the field of forest and wildlife ethics. Therefore, what was done by stalwarts and naturalists in the past cannot be taken as an excuse to continue with a practice now known to be harmful.

‘Most Photos Used to Satiate Social Media Thirst’

In the realm of wildlife photography, birds are the most harmless yet easily spotted creatures and hence the most exploited. Intense bird-watching have documented destruction of a natural habitat due to anthropogenic pressure from the quest of birds, like in case of the Hessarghatta grasslands in Bengaluru and Pangot in Nainital, Uttarakhand.

The ultimate question that emerges from the above discussion is that what is the outcome of putting our birds and their habitat is such peril? Most of the pictures coming from hides are used to satiate the social media thirst. So is it worth it?

Now, what is the solution to this problem? Regularising hides and picking the ethical and legal ones from others is not an easy job. In the 1990’s, when the problem and destruction from nest photography began to creep up, a blanket was imposed on all nest pictures in competitions.

However, since the quantum of photographers has increased since then and identifying hides in pictures is tough, this solution is a tricky one in this case.

The first and foremost step is informing the people about this phenomena and garnering support against this.

It is also time to clearly demarcate the science of ornithology, the hobby of birding, the practice of bird-watching, the tendency of bird-photography and the menace of bait-photography.

Perhaps the most fitting tribute to Salim Ali would be to properly utilise the information he left behind and expand that horizon and not use it for our petty satisfactions and disturbing wildlife. And this should be done before it is too late!

(Medha Pande is a nature enthusiast from Nainital. She has grown up observing the works of Salim Ali and Jim Corbett. She has been published in The Wire, Down to Earth, Hindustan Times and Hektoen International Journal of Medical Humanities. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)