SENAPATI, December 17 (The Herald Today): When you notice a bunch of people gathering around and watching something with curiosity in the Senapati Bazaar during winter and spring, it could most probably be a wild animal or bird.
Every morning, wild animals and birds – live and dead- are brought in and sold at costly prices by villagers in the Senapati District Headquarter.
Wild-meat has always been in high demand and people are ready to pay double the price of beef, pork, chicken and others available everyday anywhere in the market.
Wild deer, monkey, wild boar, wild roasters and flying squirrel are some of the wild species mostly found in the market. And other wildlife species such as porcupine, musk deer and others are also available in the market time to time.
Interestingly, in the Senapati Bazaar, wild-meat are generally sold in lump sum in a plate/bowl and not in Kg to extract maximum profit. And when it is measured with device, the cost of 1 Kg of venison (deer meat) is estimated at Rs. 400, 1 Kg of wild boar at Rs.300, 1 Kg of monkey is priced at Rs.1000, a grown flying squirrel is sold for Rs.1500, a porcupine costs Rs.2500 and a wild roaster/hen (species of pheasant) costs Rs.800 depending on its size, weight and freshness.
According to some reliable sources, these wild animals and birds are mostly brought in from IT Road, Thonglang, Makuilungdi, Chaka, Sorbung-Khamsom-Ngatan area where wild animals and birds are found in plenty.
Some of the reasons why wildlife command a good price and high in demand in the local market are because of rarity of the meat, its unique taste, and people sees it as luxurious food items, costly gifts to VIPs as status symbols, gifting and presence of wild meat as significant during some traditional festivals. The local people believe that fresh urine of flying squirrel can cure stone disease and its fur good for burn and blisters on human skin. Deer meat is taken to cure malaria and typhoid, and its fur to release human intestinal worm. Bitter porcupine stomach is considered good for gastric problem. Wild animal skull, skins and teeth are highly priced as they are sold and gifted as trophy materials.
It is also highly demanded in the international markets. Pods are then exported illegally to international markets and used in making perfumes. The wild boar is targeted for its gallbladder from which bile is extracted and used in making traditional Chinese medicine. It is sold locally for Rs.5000 per tola (10 gms). The demand for soft and waterproof otter skins is high in the international trade and each skin is sold for Rs.8000-10000 to buyers from Myanmar.
Hunting, though illegal in India, is always considered a traditional right and sports since times immemorial. In most villages, hunting continues largely due to its linkages with local customs and tradition.
Take an instance, ‘Loukha Ni’, a traditional festival is still celebrated by Liyai villager, Senapati in March every year. During the celebration, all menfolk go out into the jungles and catch a particular species of bird and squirrel. They believe that whoever catches that particular bird and squirrel will enjoy a prosperous life and win any battle he fights in life.
Hunting is also a common community sport in some Christian dominant villages. All menfolk of some churches go for hunting before Easter Celebration and feast over the hunted wild animals and birds during Easter celebration with Church members.
The lack of economic alternative or any other means of sustaining livelihood among the villagers tied to forests, they remain dependent on wildlife hunting. A hunter can clear up school fees of his children if he could sell a deer costing Rs.10,000 in the market. Some villagers even gift wild animals to VIPs in exchange of Housing Schemes and financial assistance. Those officials who come to grace community festivals or function are gifted with hunted wild animals.
Cultural practices are prioritized over conservation in places like Senapati District. The arrival of market accessibility to modern sophisticated weapons and ammunitions and the growth of markets have now led to a shift from cultural value to economic value of wild products. Animal parts that earlier had traditional value are now sold for cash income.
Hunting is also a traditional leisure activity for various tribal communities. Politicians, bureaucrats, social and students’ leaders, government servants, school teachers, contactors and others also take part in modern day hunting with pride attached to it. They use their vehicles to travel further into the forests with their guns to shoot birds during their free time. People who have moved to towns in search of jobs and better living condition continue to maintain this tradition by hunting during weekends.
People who are involved in conservation programmes may not hunt themselves due to lack of hunting skills, but they are happy to accept hunted animals offered by other villagers, instead of saying ‘No’ to such practices. Here the power and influence of elite and educated people is used to justify that it is their culture to hunt and rules are at times relaxed.
The awareness of conservation and sustainability issues is comparatively very low in places like Senapati District although it is slowly gaining momentum in some villages and areas.
The KNST Welfare comprised of Khabung, Sorbung, Ngathan, Khamsom,Tingson village, where varied wild species are available in their forests, has restricted any form of hunting in their jurisdiction. They have served prohibition order in local dailies informing the public not to indulge in hunting in their jurisdiction, and if anyone is found violating the order shall be imposed a fine of Rs.10,000 and hunting weapons would be seized on the spot.
Similar order has also been served by villagers of Makuilungdi and Chaka and neighbouring villages from where wild animals and birds are mostly brought to the town. Signboards are put up in some places along the road and in the forests warning the hunters not to kill any animal or bird, or else, their weapons would be seized.
In some villages, hunting of wild animals and killing of birds are restricted during mating season – February, March, April and May of the year.
The destruction of wildlife in any form was made unlawful in1972 when the Wildlife Protection Act was enacted (Anonymous, 1994). The law was promulgated in response to the rapid decline of India’s wildlife. The Indian Wildlife Protection Act is a comprehensive law for protecting India’s biodiversity, and it prohibits hunting of any species and trade in trophies, animal articles and derivatives.