Mumbai: ‘Expose trafficking, not wildlife’s monetary value. It does great harm’

The skull of a spotted deer, which was seized last month from three men who were attempting to sell the rare item

Wildlife trafficking is among the top illegal activities carried out globally and locally. It has been observed that when animals or articles derived from them are given price tags or their monetary value is declared in the mainstream or social media, it does more harm than good.

Advocate Pawan Satyaprakash Sharma, founder and president of Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and honorary wildlife warden, Thane district, Maharashtra forest department, has written a letter to the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden, Maharashtra. He has sought certain guidelines to various investigating agencies and media so as to have certain regulations with regard to the disclosure of the commercial value of a species or articles derived from it while busting illegal wildlife trade.

"There has been a very important concern for the past few years related to the disclosure of the commercial value of live wildlife or the articles derived from such species while busting cases of Illegal trafficking by hunting and poaching by various agencies as per the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. There is an immediate need to have certain guidelines for disclosure of information regarding the commercial value of live animals or articles derived from them as it [disclosing figures] has the potential to do more bad than good," the letter read.

When the value of wildlife or articles derived from them is revealed, it not only creates awareness but also attracts new potential hunters and poachers in search of sources of easy income.

The letter stated, "After COVID-19, which has globally crashed financial markets, changed the lives of individuals and institutions and left several people jobless, a large number of people are getting attracted towards such illegal activities, as has been reported a lot in the recent past. Therefore, it is a humble request to you as the chief wildlife warden of the state to look into this matter and come up with certain guidelines, policies and protocols so that this conflict can be avoided before it turns out to be a major issue of concern."

The letter to the PCCF also states that the mainstream and social media has been covering raids and seizures in various parts of the state, country and world where species or their articles are overvalued or black market rates are mentioned, which is harmful.