Illegal mongoose trade continues in Orissa

BHUBANESWAR: Illegal trade in mongoose is continuing unabated in Orissa with sixteen of them being seized from a fair here last week, a wildlife activist said.

"The animals are sold openly as there is no restriction on their sale," alleged animal activist Biswajit Mohanty and pointed that trapping, selling or even keeping a live mongoose is an offence.

Forest officials seized 16 mongoose, which had been categorised in schedule-II of the Wildlife Protection Act, from near a Shiva temple at Paramhansa village near Cuttack town on March 6.

The sale of wild animals and birds peak up in the area near the festival of Shivratri.

Mohanty, who claimed to have cautioned the state's wildlife wing much before Shivratri, said the mongoose is under serious threat in the country.

The demand for the animal was for its hair which is used in manufacturing paint brushes. "Thousands are slaughtered every year to meet this demand. Similarly, there is a thriving pet trade in live mongoose," he alleged.

Quoting a survey, the Wildlife Society of Orissa said there is an indication of a sharp decline in mongoose population in Orissa.

The practice of trade in wild animals, mostly mongoose on Shivratri day, has continued since generations in the particular village and there has been attempt to check the illegal practice, wildlife experts said.

Like previous years, about 400 live mongoose were sold at Paramahansa fair on March six at prices ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 60 each. Traditional bird and animal trappers known as 'kelas' were found with stocks of live mongoose, grey hornbill and parakeets being sold as pets.

One seller had four live hornbills being sold as a cure for arthritis. About 100 ringed parakeets were also on sale, alleged J B Das, another activist.

Mongoose were kept in cramped steel cages and their mouths were singed by a hot iron in order to prevent them from biting. They had been trapped from the districts of Cuttack, Puri and Jagatsinghpur for this annual sale.

Officials at the wildlife wing said that the government was not aware about the illegal trade.

Mohanty alleged that though the state wildlife wing's Wildlife Crime Control Cell located in the chief wildlife warden's office was alerted about the illegal practice three days before the Shivratri festival, no action was taken.