ITANAGAR, 28 Dec: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has demanded that the state government take all necessary measures to stop illegal hunting and selling of wild animals and birds in the markets.
The union also demanded imposing a ban on open selling and slaughtering of mithun, except for traditional and customary purposes.
The AAPSU said that the huge profits made from wildlife meat are encouraging more and more people to get involved in illegal hunting, especially during the festive seasons.
“It is learnt that a hunted deer is sold at around Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 and a small bird at around Rs 1,000 in the markets, which is encouraging people to get involved in wildlife hunting for easy earning,” the union said.
Stating that the illegal practice must be checked immediately, AAPSU president Hawa Bagang called for collective approach and effort from the government to discourage the locals from hunting wildlife at the community level by involving CBOs and the AAPSU.
The union said it has been raising the issue since 2018.
“In 2018, we raised the issue in a consultative meeting of all the CBOs and political parties to ban rampant slaughtering of mithun, killing and selling of wild animals and birds in the state,” the union said.
The AAPSU also reiterated its demand for stringent and immediate action against all those involved in wildlife hunting under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and other regulations, by setting up fast-track courts to try all cases related to violation of the Wildlife Act.
