Hunting and Poaching

Nazeer Waris

Killing of animals by licensed weapons is called hunting. Hunting is allowed only for permitted animals which are very few. But if someone kills a wild animal protected under law, it is known as ‘poaching’.

Poachers are a threat to wildlife whose dwindling numbers are disturbing the ecosystem that is critical to preservation of environment. Nearly all kinds of animals and birds are prohibited for killing under the law.

Except for perhaps crows and kites, no birds can be hunted. And no one hunts crows and kites as they are not used for food.

Recently, when some celebrities were found to be in possession of nails and claws of tiger, the police in Bangalore arrested them and filed cases against them.

So we must remember that not only wild animals should not be killed, but even possession of parts of those animals is prohibited. In olden days, it was fashionable to hang the horns, heads and skins of tigers, leopards, deer, antelopes and bison in homes as game trophies.

Others would preserve the tusks of elephants as a pride possession. Decorative objects were carved out of tusks and passed on from generation to generation.

Several years after banning the killing of elephants, even the sale of tusks was banned, lest the pachy - derms be killed for the promise of huge earning the tusks would bring. Rare animal products and parts lure many people to indulge in poaching.

They poach for food, pleasure, medicines, leather, trophies, bones and furs. Forest brigand Veerappan was a notorious poacher who killed several elephants in the forests spread over thousands of kilometres on the trijunction of states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

He had become a huge threat to wildlife in the sanctuaries of Bandipore and Nagarhole. He had even killed many forest guards, police personnel and posed extreme danger to forest dwellers.

He was killed after being pursued for several years. Poachers pose threat not merely to wildlife but to the ecosystem. If tigers or leopards are killed, the population of their prey would grow unchecked.

If birds are killed in huge numbers, the pests and insects that they feed upon would increase and pose a threat to crops. Our environment has delicate balance with all the animals that share the ecosystem contributing to it.

Similarly, the birds and bats are pollinators which are essential for trees to bear fruits and flowers. Take the case of elephants. Africa had a few millions of elephants at the beginning of the last century i.e., around 1900.

But today the elephant population in the dark continent is fewer than four lakh. Cheetah vanished from India around 1950. It was only recently that we imported 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa and reintroduced them in Kuno National Park of Madhya Pradesh.

It is our duty to protect Nature with all its animals, birds, trees, rivers and hills. These are vital elements which complement each other and help the nature remain stable.