Stop the Hunting of Wildlife in India

Hunting, though illegal in India, is considered a traditional sport and culture in many remote parts of the country. In Arunachal Pradesh, reports have indicated that 134 wild animals comprising of mammals, birds and reptiles are hunted and 57% of the hunted species are Endangered, Vulnerable or Near Threatened as per the IUCN Red list. With 33 mammalian species hunted in the state, the structure and dynamics of the forest ecology like loss of seed dispersers, pollinators, predators could face serious consequences.

One such area is the valley of Mechuka, meaning “medicinal water of snow” in the Eastern Himalayan foothills. Mechuka, a village located around 29 Km from McMahon Line (Bordering line between India and China) at a height of 6,000 ft. above sea level in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh is home to the people of Memba, Ramo, Adi, Lebo and Tagin Tribes. The region traditionally holds a history of practicing hunting and fishing. Earlier hunting in these areas was more for subsistence but today the access to markets and high market value for wildlife products has made hunting a route for additional income. However, many areas even today have traditional social taboos to prevent overharvesting by following customary laws to maintain a balance between need for subsistence and conservation. To help maintain this principle law and ensure it is strictly abided by, there was an urgent need for awareness in the area.

Wildlife Trust of India with the help of Global giving donors supported a meeting organised by the Mechuka Eco-tourism and Conservation Society (MECS) inviting stakeholders such as District Council members, Forest department officials, village heads and community groups to discuss the issue of hunting in Mechuka and regulation measures. The village heads primarily discussed the current status of hunting and fishing and the need for more awareness campaigns in the region. Species such as Himalayan Musk deer (Moschus leucogaster), Himalayan Black bear (Ursus thibetanus laniger) , Black necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) etc were found to be most affected in the area.To help monitor and prevent further loss of fauna, MECS and the forest department decided to select individuals from each village who will help in reporting threat to wildlife and enhance vigilance life. Mr. Abhinav Kumar, DFO Aalo shared,” This is a great initiative by the community and WTI, and the forest department shall render its support to MECS in creating awareness and help curb the issue of hunting in Mechuka” More activities and plans were decided upon and shall be followed upon in the upcoming months.

This was one of the first initiatives in the region highlighting conservation measures for wildlife. Cultural practices being prioritized over conservation; it will require long term efforts of sensitization in the landscape. Thereby, we hope to conduct more such meetings and awareness campaigns in the area that will help us understand and enforce customary laws to preserve tradition, as well as secure the wildlife of Mechuka.

In this regard, we look out for your continued support so that we can accentuate the importance of wildlife conservation amongst individuals and local communities and make a difference.

Links:

• India's first Wild Anthem
• Keeping Wildlife #ForeverWild
• 20 Years of Wildlife Trust of India

Desert ecosystems being unique for their climatic conditions hold distinct flora and fauna, evolved and adapted to combat harsh conditions. As an update on our project, addressing hunting of the Indian spiny-tailed lizard in the adjoining areas of Tal Chappar Wildlife Sanctuary in Churu, Rajasthan over 196 villagers were surveyed. It was brought to notice that half of the communities were aware of the lizard and its hunting practices for both oil and meat consumption.

The lizards voraciously feed on the abundant available resources and gain weight, making them suitable targets for hunters of tribal communities Meena, Bavari, and Bheels. Through this project, a local informer group has been set up to aid in monitoring hunting patterns and keep vigil of ongoing activities. In addition to this, to help sensitize the future generations on spiny-tailed lizards and Indian wildlife awareness programmes were conducted. A total of 241 students and 50 teachers participated from five schools in the district. As mentioned, apart from hunting practices, the lizards were severe victims of road kills in the area. Three main roads and several minor paths passed through the prime habitat of the species killing over 78 individuals in just a span of four months. To tackle this challenge, formal meetings were held with over 500 villagers including village heads and Municipal committee Chapar to ensure alternate routes away from breeding areas of spiny-tailed lizards were immediately adopted. Suggestions were also given to the Chairman of Municipal Committee of Chappar who agreed to the need for speed breakers in the roads.

Also, signages on species conservation are installed near breeding areas to make people aware of the species habitat and threat vehicles pose. During the course of this project, a new challenge that came into light was the issue of stray dogs in the area. The lack of control over their population has begun to put not only spiny-tailed lizards but also grazers such as blackbuck, nilgai, and chinkara in threat. We would like to thank Global giving and other donors to help us stand up for this cause. With more animals being hunted every day it gives us a great responsibility to at least try providing such cryptic species a safe home ground to survive.