Stop the Hunting of Wildlife in India

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