Locals from Nagaland’s Wokha area are shown abusing a Great Indian Hornbill in a horrific video that has been shared on social media. Three persons have reportedly been detained by the Nagaland Police under the Wildlife and Arms Act for torturing and murdering the endangered bird.
‘A video of an Endangered Great Indian Hornbill being tortured in Wokha District, Nagaland went viral. After PFA’s intervention, Chief Wildlife Warden Mr Vedpal Singh arrested the 3 accused under the Wildlife and Arms Act. They will not be released on bail’, People For Animals India tweeted.
A video of an Endangered Great Indian Hornbill being tortured in Wokha District, Nagaland went viral.
After PFA’s intervention, the Chief Wildlife Warden Mr. Vedpal Singh arrested the 3 accused under the Wildlife and Arms Act. They will not be released on bail.
#wildlife pic.twitter.com/YwDCf6YSp4— People For Animals India (@pfaindia) June 15, 2022
The Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia are home to the Great Indian Hornbill. The species was categorized as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2018 due to its dwindling population and fragmented range. Species with a very high danger of extinction on a worldwide scale are included under the vulnerable (VU) category.
The Great Indian Hornbill prefers dense forests with big trees, hence according to IUCN, forest loss has had a negative influence on this species across its range. ‘Because of its exceptionally large home range, the species requires extensive tracts of undisturbed forest and is unable to persist in areas where lowland forest has been reduced to small fragments’, it stated.
Also Read: Kangana Ranaut gets Oscar-winning artist David Malinowski onboard for ‘Emergency’
Another significant concern to the species is hunting since it exhibits predictable behaviour while frequenting the same feeding areas and is simple prey for local hunters. ‘A survey in north-eastern India found that the species is mainly hunted for food as well as for its casque and tail feathers, which are used as adornments by local communities’, IUCN said.
Post Your Comments