Stop the Hunting of Wildlife in India

The rapid expansion of internet access, social media platforms, e-commerce marketplaces, and digital communication tools has significantly changed the way illegal wildlife trade operates. Sellers can advertise wildlife and wildlife products to large audiences, connect directly with buyers, shift between platforms, and use coded language or private channels to avoid detection. In response, the South Asia regional hub undertakes focused cyber monitoring and analysis to identify, assess, and track illegal wildlife trade activity across online spaces in the region, including social media platforms, websites, e-commerce portals, and other digital channels.

The WTI cyber-IWT team analyses emerging trends, species in trade, trafficking methods, priority geographies, and potential criminal linkages to support evidence-based responses. It also contributes to enforcement by sharing actionable leads with relevant agencies, supporting investigations, seizures, rescues, and wider disruption efforts, including reporting illegal wildlife sale content for removal from online platforms. By combining cyber monitoring, regional coordination, and practical support, the team aims to convert data into disruption and strengthen responses to wildlife trafficking across the region.

• Note_for_Cyber_illegal_wildlife_trade_monitoring_South_Asia_Hub.docx (DOCX)

Thank you for standing up against one of the greatest threats to India’s wildlife—illegal hunting and trade. Your contribution to our “Stop the Hunting of Wildlife in India” appeal has made a real impact on the ground.

With your support, Wildlife Trust of India has launched multiple Rapid Action Projects (RAPs) across the country—from the rice fields of Tamil Nadu to the wetlands of West Bengal and the forests of Arunachal and Tamil Nadu. These interventions target urgent conservation needs where birds, reptiles, and mammals are under direct threat from hunting and trade.

In this report, we share four stories of hope and progress—how we’ve worked with local communities, empowered frontline teams, dismantled poaching networks, and inspired new conservation champions. Each project is unique, but all of them were made possible because of you.

1)      Stopping Bird Traps in West Bengal: A Win for Migratory Birds

Central West Bengal is a vital wintering ground for over 50 species of migratory birds. Yet every year, thousands fall victim to large-scale poaching—trapped in mist nets and sold in illegal markets. In some districts like Murshidabad, Birbhum, and East Bardhaman, the small songbird Bogari is targeted heavily, with an estimated 1–1.5 lakh birds killed each season, posing a major threat to the region’s biodiversity.

With your support, WTI launched a Rapid Action Project to curb this crisis through a mix of field enforcement and public awareness.

Here’s what your donations helped achieve:

• Patrols Across Hotspots: Eight trained volunteers monitored 23 poaching-prone wetlands round-the-clock. As a result, 55 km of illegal mist nets were removed and destroyed.
• Direct Rescue: The team rescued 644 larks and pipits and disrupted 26 poaching attempts, leading to the arrest of 12 poachers across three gangs.
• Community Action: Awareness campaigns (including miking and posters) were conducted across 36 villages, reaching nearly 20,000 people, and inspiring 21 informants to share tips that led to active poaching site busts.
• Lasting Impact: At Patan Beel—previously a major poaching zone—not a single net was found this season. Today, it safely hosts over 1,000 migratory birds.

Thanks to your contributions, birds that once faced a grim fate are now soaring free over Bengal’s wetlands. Your support is making these silent wings visible again—and helping us protect one of India’s most threatened migratory bird flyways.

2)      Turning Hunters into Guides: Empowering Narikuravar Youth in Tamil Nadu

Every winter, the farmlands of Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, and Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu become temporary homes to flocks of migratory birds—cattle egrets, herons, and stilts—who play a quiet but vital role in local ecosystems by keeping pests in check and enriching the soil.

Yet, these birds face a serious threat.

Outside protected areas and largely unmonitored, these agricultural landscapes have become hunting grounds—especially for members of the Narikuravar tribal community, who depend on bird hunting for food and income. Every year, hundreds of birds are lost to this practice.

But thanks to your support, change is taking flight.

This project is creating alternative livelihood options for Narikuravar youth by training them in ecotourism and guiding—opening up new avenues through the region’s rich religious and cultural tourism circuit. The goal is to:

• Reduce dependence on hunting during migratory seasons
• Engage youth as field assistants with local NGOs and researchers
• Build conservation awareness and pride in their local biodiversity
• Create sustainable, year-round income that doesn’t harm wildlife

This initiative not only protects migratory birds but also uplifts a historically marginalized community through meaningful employment and conservation stewardship.

Your contribution is helping turn a cycle of hunting into one of hope, learning, and protection.

3)      Breaking the Trade Chain: Saving Pangolins in Tamil Nadu

The Indian Pangolin, one of the world’s most trafficked mammals, is being pushed toward extinction—hunted for its scales and meat. Sadly, Tamil Nadu ranks as the 5th worst pangolin trafficking hotspot in India, with 125 pangolins poached in just four years (2018–2022).

Among the worst-hit areas are the Theni and Madurai districts, where illegal trade networks operate across dry deciduous forests at the foothills of the Eastern and Western Ghats.

Thanks to your contribution and support from DSWF, we’ve launched a focused Rapid Action Project to help break this trafficking chain.

Right now, the team—working closely with the Forest Department—is actively gathering intelligence to identify poaching networks, monitor trade routes, and track down key perpetrators. The coming weeks will involve targeted raids, seizure of pangolin scales, and criminal case development against those involved.

The project also aims to work at the grassroots, engaging communities, building awareness about pangolins, and developing a long-term plan to protect this shy, nocturnal creature.

This intervention wouldn’t be possible without your contribution. With your continued support, we hope to turn Tamil Nadu from a poaching hotspot into a pangolin protection stronghold.

4)      Unraveling Myths to Protect Raptors and Snakes in Arunachal Pradesh

The remote West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh is a biodiversity treasure trove—home to rare raptors like the Mountain Hawk-Eagle and a range of snake species, including the King Cobra and Jerdon’s Pit Viper. But a mix of traditional beliefs, fear, and misinformation is driving conflict between people and wildlife—resulting in the hunting of eagles and the killing of snakes.

With your contributions and support from Fondation Segré, we launched a project to investigate and address this growing crisis. Village surveys uncovered a surprising link: many deaths of Mountain Hawk-Eagles were connected to local beliefs that hunting them would ward off snakes or protect livestock. Some communities also consume these birds due to subsistence needs and medicinal beliefs.

Snake-human conflict was another major concern. Fear-driven killings—often based on myths like “snakes follow people who see them”—were commonly reported. The most affected species included Monocled and Spectacled Cobras, Great Black Krait, and other rare reptiles.

To counter these challenges, the project focused on awareness and capacity-building:

• Conducted community training on snake identification and safe emergency rescue
• Held educational sessions to correct dangerous myths and promote coexistence
• Equipped forest staff with basic rescue skills to respond effectively

By demystifying wildlife and working closely with locals, this initiative is not only reducing unnecessary killings but also laying the groundwork for long-term coexistence and wildlife protection.

Thank you for making this work possible.

Together, We're Changing the Narrative

Whether it’s breaking a chain of pangolin traffickers, giving Narikuravar youth a future beyond hunting, or busting bird poachers in Bengal, your support is reshaping the future of wildlife protection in India.

Your donation did more than just help prevent hunting—it built trust with communities, opened up new livelihoods, and gave endangered species a fighting chance.

From all of us at Wildlife Trust of India—thank you for believing in this mission. Together, we will continue to stop the hunting of wildlife and create a safer, wilder future.

Warm regards,
Team WTI