Nagpur: In response to a recent change suggested in the draft wildlife policy by ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) regarding distinction between hunting and use of wildlife for cultural practices, the ministry has been urged to drop the new clause by leading NGOs.
Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), along with other NGOs, in a letter to the MoEFCC has urged to disallow use of wild species for blind faith. Real values behind cultural practices do not warrant such use, they said.
BNHS said it believed that nature conservation should follow a multidisciplinary approach and should ensure community participation, with strong scientific field research. India, an ancient civilization, has been mostly successful in conserving its biodiversity in the past through sustainable lifestyles followed down the ages. While most original practices had scientific or symbolic conservation meaning, many had got perverted to unreasonable rituals often based on non-scientific blind faith, it said.
A suggestion in the recent draft wildlife policy, circulated by the MoEFCC allows "use of wild species for religious and cultural practices". In order to avoid the confrontation between enforcement authorities and communities, the draft suggests distinction between hunting and use for religious/cultural practices, with safeguards and cruelty prevention rules.
Concerned about the possible threat to wildlife species if this suggestion was incorporated, BNHS, along with NGOs such as Aaranyak, Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), TRAFFIC-India and Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO), demanded that this suggestion be rejected.
"Practices such as ivory carving, bear dancing, snake charming and use of animals for black magic are totally in opposition to scientific temper and the ideals of a progressive society. There are several instances of cruelty to animals for blind faith, which is a result of following rituals without understanding the original philosophy," said Atul Sathe, manager (communications), BNHS-India.
One example is the widely followed practice in modern times of catching and handling snakes on the occasion of Nag Panchami. This practice, now banned, was not only detrimental to the species, but also against the original value system, Sathe pointed out.
Nag Panchami was traditionally celebrated by the farming community by conducting worship near the abode of cobras in the vicinity of the fields. This did not involve catching specimen but merely showed gratitude to snakes for the role played in controlling rodent pests and helping humans.
The activists said another instance of use of wildlife products for cultural practices was the use of peacock feather brooms by fakirs.
