Editor,
The black panther is one of the endangered large cat species found in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh and is a Schedule-1 animal species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. However, one died in Lower Dibang Valley’s Roing mini-zoo. Its death was extremely tragic, and 20 bullets were found in its skull and torso.
Protecting wildlife is protecting humans themselves. Wildlife is an important part of the natural ecosystem and an important link in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. As the top predator of the ecosystem, the black panther plays a vital role in maintaining the local ecological balance. Their presence can effectively control the population of other wild animals and maintain the balance and stability of the food chain. Once the number of black panthers drops sharply or disappears regionally, it will have a devastating impact on the local ecological environment. Not only the black panther, but other rare wild animals are also in danger of being hunted, such as tiger, leopard, snow leopard, Asian elephant, sambhar deer, chital deer, barking deer, sloth bear, mithun, gaur, dhole, giant squirrel, marbled cat, leopard cat, etc.
The government and the wildlife protection department must take measures to protect wildlife, including protecting wildlife habitats, monitoring wildlife populations, counting the number of rare animals, managing guns and ammunition, and increasing penalties for poaching, etc.
Aarna Gupta