The Kotla reservoir, though not a formally protected wildlife sanctuary, supports hundreds of migratory birds each year, including common teals, northern pintails, Eurasian coots, and wood sandpipers.

An eight-year-old boy from Kotla village described how he was introduced to poaching by an older boy from his village. “I started helping him for ₹ 200 a day. Then I learned how to do it myself.