Tiger poaching multiplies in India during lockdown

Loss of livelihoods due to the Covid-19 forces people to resort to illegal hunting for sustenance

NEW DELHI:

Although India boasts nearly 3,000 tigers across the length and breadth of its forests, the country has witnessed a major spike in poaching during the lockdown period enforced by the government to stem the spread of coronavirus.

According to the wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic, 88 poaching incidents have been reported in the post lockdown period from March 23-May 3, almost double the number reported during the six weeks before lockdown.

As the International Tiger Day is being observed on Wednesday, the Indian government said in a report on Tuesday that the overall tiger population in the country was estimated at 2,967.

"Out of this, 83% were actually camera trapped individual tigers and rest were recaptured. A total of 2,461 individual tigers (> 1 year of age) were photo-captured," said the report titled Status of Tigers Co-predators and prey in India.

Another official data suggests that India has lost 110 tigers in 2019, one-third of them due to poaching.

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“It is still unknown how poaching rates increased during the lockdown. Despite consistent efforts by law enforcement agencies, wild animal population in India came under additional threat during the lockdown period,” said a study conducted by the Traffic.

A total of 222 persons were arrested in poaching related cases by various law enforcement agencies during the lockdown period across the country, significantly higher numbers, as 85 suspects were arrested during the pre-lockdown phase, revealed the study.

Over the last eight years, 750 tigers have died in the country, most of them fell to the bullets of poachers, said the government data.

Experts believe that spike has been also noticed in poaching of other animals that these tigers depend on for food.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Faiyaz Khudsar, a wildlife biology scientist said that the loss of livelihoods due to the lockdown and food shortages has forced people to resort to illegal hunting for sustenance.

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“The pandemic is pushing people into all sorts of illegal activities and poaching is no less. The poachers are taking advantage of the crisis and selling the meat. Bushmeat consumption has also increased,” said Yadvendradev Jhala, a senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India, a government institution run by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education.