Anti-hunting Awareness Program Held in Ganpur, Birbhum
28 April 2024
On 28 April, 2024, HEAL conducted an awareness programme against hunting of wildlife in Ganpur, Birbhum in collaboration with the Forest Department. The programme took place in Ganpur Forest Beat Office near Ghagha village, in Md Bazar CD Block of Birbhum district. The event was attended by around 45 residents from Ghagha and other nearby villages.
HEAL members Aditya Pardhan and Aditya Banerjee spoke about the need to conserve the wildlife remaining in these forests, making the attendees aware of the ecological and the legal implications of hunting, as well as providing examples of other parts of the country where tribals have given up hunting.
Members of the Forest Department, including the Ranger of Md Bazar Forest Range, and the Beat Officer of Ganpur Beat, also provided insights into the impacts of hunting. Representatives of the tribal community also voiced their opinions on the status of wildlife as well as matters of forest protection in the area.
HEAL has been working to address the issue of large scale wildlife hunting festivals in seven districts of West Bengal, for the past seven years through efforts like, documentation and monitoring, conducting litigation to stop these hunts, and step up enforcement efforts by state authorities. Hunting festivals organized in these districts see massive turnouts of over 10,000-15,000 people from all over the state as well as neighbouring states.
Our awareness programme in Ganpur is part of a larger awareness campaign being conducted in the district of Birbhum, in response to our relatively recent understanding of ritualistic hunting practices in this district. Through these efforts, we are attempting to examine the scale and impact of hunting, and also impress upon local residents to not engage in this practice.