Killing the Wild
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 19 2012 -

Every year, people from different walks of life in Manipur may be joining the rest of the country in observing 'Wild Life Week' and taking the 'Wild Life Pledge' to protect and preserve our vanishing wild life and dwindling forest areas, but we keep hearing about rare as well as endangered birds and animals being killed, either for food or for pleasure, and trees being cut down indiscriminately.

This only goes to show that the endless round of essay writing and painting competitions being held for students, films on wild life being screened at different places and radio broadcasts on related topics from experts have not been able to generate awareness on the importance of preserving wild life among the people.

On the other hand, how effectively The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which was enacted with the stated objective of 'effectively' controlling poaching and illegal trade in wildlife and its derivatives, and later amended in 2003 to make the punishment and penalty for offences under the Act more stringent, is actually being implemented at the ground level is not known?

Although we keep hearing every now and then about the seizure of wild life products by central para-military personnel, what the officials of the Government Department concerned have been doing is questionable?

In fact, the recent incident where meats of wild animals were found being sold openly in some stalls of Manipur Sangai Festival, 2012 at Hafta Kangjeibung, which is just a stone throw away from the State Forest Department, and right under the nose of officials of State Tourism Department, who hosted the event, stands as a testimony to the lackadaisical attitude of the officials concerned towards implementation of the provisions of The Wild Life (Protection) Act in Manipur.

It was only after the media highlighted the matter that the red-faced officials ran for cover and announced shut down of the stalls which have done a roaring business of selling the meat of wild animals like Boar and Porcupine at Rs 100 per plate containing five to six pieces.

No doubt, the integrity of the people who visited these stalls to enjoy the meat of rare wild life too was questionable, but what was even more galling in the whole episode was the total lack of concern about the existence of laws to protect wild life and the foot-dragging response of the Government officials in performing their duties.

Close behind this 'shameful episode', news reports of killing a Himalayan Griffon, one of the endangered species enlisted in IUCN Red List, at Kamjong in Ukhrul district, had been flashed all over.

But whether the officials concerned have initiated any action in this regard is still not known.

And now, what to make out from the deer hunted for its meat being sold openly in the market of Senapati?

At least we know this for sure, the pledge 'Convinced of the fundamental importance of conserving the natural environment, upon which rests the foundation of human civilization, we solemnly pledge, that we will spare no efforts to preserve our vanishing wildlife and our dwindling forest areas which our generation holds in trust for posterity', sounds so hollow.