HEAL Celebrates Zero Hunting in Faloharini Hunt Festival 2024
05 June 2024
Eight years ago, on World Environment Day 2016 (5th June), we witnessed a harrowing spectacle unfold at Panskura railway station in Howrah district. Thousands of slaughtered wild animals were strewn across railway platforms along the Howrah-Midnapur railway line. Armed hunters had traveled by train from the Jungle Mahal area during Faloharini Kali Puja, openly carrying animal kills and even cooking and eating their meat on the platforms.
This year, on World Environment Day 2024, we saw a completely different scenario at Panskura railway station. Our collective efforts have borne fruit, with the number of hunters migrating into Howrah and East Medinipur declining dramatically over the years. From thousands of hunters in 2016, to 3-4 groups in 2023, and 0 groups in 2024, we are proud to say that this is a rare conservation success story. We also achieved zero hunting this year for the third consecutive year in a row!
Since HEAL filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in 2018, prompting the Calcutta High Court to declare a complete embargo on this festival, we have been working with the Forest Department, Railways, and Police in Howrah and East Medinipur districts to combat this annual wildlife decimation through effective law enforcement.
Over the years, HEAL members along with an army of volunteers and various local NGOs have been patrolling railway stations and intercepting hunting parties during the hunt dates, as well as raising awareness against this practice.
This continued conservation success was achieved through careful planning and coordination. The Howrah Forest Department, other state departments, and local NGOs, including HEAL, met before the hunt to assign roles and ensure round-the-clock monitoring at railway stations, roads, and river crossings.
As we have rendered this hunt effectively bloodless over the last three years, we commend the joint efforts of the Forest Departments of Howrah and East Medinipur, the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the Police force, and all the local NGOs and individuals in these two districts who have contributed to this ongoing conservation success.