Stop the Hunting of Wildlife in India

Dear Friend,

Hope you are doing well.

With this email, we are sharing with you the updates for the project “Stop the hunting of wildlife in India”. Thank you so much for your generous contribution to this project and for believing in our work. We are so glad to have you as a part of our team.

Today’s updates are a follow-up on the support we provided to one of our local partners working with the Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram. He proposed to sensitise the local community around the Tiger Reserve (TR) about the region’s unique biodiversity to minimise the hunting of threatened and endemic species in the region. Being a local himself, our project partner was well aware of the hunting practices of the local community residing in the region. And to curtail this practice, he planned to develop a biodiversity inventory of the area surrounding the TR, while engaging the local community in the process. Through this exercise, he was confident that the hunting community could be made aware of the species diversity of the region and their ecological significance. He also planned to mobilise ‘informer groups’ to keep a check on any hunting activities in the region.

We had provided camera traps to our local partner to monitor the region’s biodiversity and gather hunting evidences.

Due to the COVID-induced nationwide lockdown, he could not implement his plan for the initial few months. However, the project activities resumed eventually and we have received some fresh updates on the project activities undertaken.

1. Mammalian diversity for the region was determined through a questionnaire survey, transect survey, and camera trap images.
2. A short film was made to highlight the importance of forest resources and the dependence of the local community on these resources. Also, the impact due to unsustainable practices adopted by the community were highlighted. The film covered different aspects such as livelihood, hunting, and impact of shifting cultivation etc.
3. Sensitization programmes for local community were conducted with a prominent local association and other influential persons of the village. A team comprising local youths (#10) was formed to keep a check on the hunting activities and to inform the forest department of the same.
4. With these efforts, so far no major hunting activities were reported. All the entry points to the villages are being guarded by the forest guards and members of the Association, with regular patrolling at night.
5. Besides, the hunting data obtained from the range officer, Teirei range, also suggests that the hunting trend in and around Dampa TR is on a declining trajectory. The numbers of illegal hunting equipment (such as non-licensed guns and traps/snares) seized from the local hunters were comparatively lesser than past two years.

All this was made possible due to your generous support, for which we are so grateful. That’s all for today’s updates. We will soon be back with more information on this and similar projects. Till then, take care.

Warm regards,

Team WTI

Dear Patron,

Hope you have been keeping well.

In the last report we shared with you, we had mentioned about a Rapid Action Project initiated around the Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram. Today’s updates are a follow-up on that project.

Here’s a recap.

One of our local partners who had been working with the Forest Department as a Wildlife Guard, had sought our support to sensitise the local community around ‘Dampa Tiger Reserve’ in Mizoram about the regions’ unique biodiversity so as to minimize the hunting of threatened and endemic species. The proposed region comprises of several endemic and endangered species such as leaf monkeys, hoolock gibbons, golden cats, marbled cats, Chinese pangolins, etc. Being a local, our project partner witnessed hunting of several species in the region by the local community. To curtail this trend, he decided to develop a biodiversity inventory for the area surrounding the Tiger Reserve and engage the local community in the process. This he believed would apprise the hunting community of the species diversity of the region and their ecological significance. He also wanted to understand the belief system, especially of the youth and had planned regular meetings with the community. He wanted to mobilise ‘informer groups’ to keep a check on the hunting status.

We had provided camera traps to our local partner to monitor the region’s biodiversity and gather hunting evidences.

Unfortunately, the reporting period for this update and the associated work, is marred by the COVID pandemic, and a territorial dispute in Mizoram. The roadways are blocked resulting in limited access to food supplies and fuel for vehicles. Moreover our proponent, contracted corona virus and was discharged from the hospital only recently. The team is in regular contact with him. He has been braving the situation and is determined to resume work as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, telephonic discussions with the Village heads were initiated for conducting awareness programs and survey in two villages in the targeted region. Also, work on developing a documentary on the hunting practices around Dampa Tiger Reserve has been initiated. The documentary is in the editing phase.

We are grateful for your support during these difficult times. Thank you so much for being by our side. We will keep you updated on the progress of the project. Till then, stay safe and take care.    

Warm Regards,

Team WTI