Rangers in Thua Thien – Hue Province, located in central Vietnam, have caught a man red-handed setting traps for maroon-backed imperial pigeons in a local forest and rescued over 20 birds already captured.

The incident happened in Bac Hai Van Protection Forest in the province’s Phu Loc District, local rangers announced on Friday.

While a team of Phu Loc District rangers and forest guards were patrolling the forest, they found a local man, who resides in Loc Dien Commune, laying traps for the wild birds illegally.

The location of the traps belongs to sub-area 251 of Bac Hai Van Protection Forest.

The forest guards seized exhibits including bird traps and more than 20 mountain imperial pigeons.

The mountain imperial pigeon, also known as maroon-backed imperial pigeon or Hodgson's imperial pigeon, is a species of bird in the pigeon and dove family whose the Latin name is Ducula Badia griseicapilla.

They are found in Myanmar, Thailand, and Indochina, district rangers said.

In Vietnam, they have been found in many areas such as Tam Dao District in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, Khe Sanh Town in the north-central province of Quang Tri, Hai Van Pass in the central region, and Kon Tum Province and Da Lat City in the Central Highlands region.

The local man found unlawfully setting bird traps was booked for the violation.

Local authorities destroyed all the exhibits involved in the case and are working to soon release the captured birds back into the wild.

Vietnamese law states that a person who uses a trap to catch wild animals in protected areas can be subject to an administrative fine of up to VND1.5 million (US$65).

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