In the last few months several hunters have been nabbed by the widlife officials across the state for carrying out illegal hunting activities. On Friday five hunters were arrested for allegedly hunting inside the Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary in East Siang district by the forest officials. Apparently two of the hunters are reportedly habitual offender which means they must have been under the lens of forest officials. It is surpising as to how the duo managed to evade the radar of officials and indulge in hunting activities inside the protected wildlife sanctuary. This definitely raises question mark over the functioning of forest department.
The hunting of wild animals has been part and parcel of tribal lifestyle for centuries. Many hunting festivals are associated with various tribes of the state. However over the year the killing of wild animals for commercial consumption is on rise. The hunters are abandoning the traditional method and are starting to use sophiscated weapons to kill for the commercial purposes. This has led to large scale killing of wild animals. The result is the growing decline in wildlife populations in the state. The environemnt and forest department will have to increase vigil to stop this reckless killing. They should join hand with the district administrations and also involve the villagers to save precious wildlives. Simply by arresting the hunters this problem will not end. Need of the hour is mass awareness especially at the grass root. An aware citizens will definitely play an important role in protection of wild animals.