20 December,2020 08:28 AM IST | Mumbai | Anju Maskeri
A pangolin rescued by the forest department after a tip-off. Maharashtra is set to be the first state in India to have a dedicated action plan for conservation of pangolins, the worldu00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099s most trafficked animal
On the afternoon that we phone M Maranko, regional deputy director of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WWCB), he's in the midst of sifting through pictures of a raid that took place the same morning. Having received information that some persons were smuggling and selling rare species of parakeets in Nanded, his team was dispatched to bust the racket. "The parakeets are so young that even the feathers haven't formed. It's heartbreaking to see," he says. Although proud that they managed to intercept the illegal sale in time, Maranko says the real hero in this case is not his team nor the police department, but the informer. "WCCB is a small unit; I have only three inspectors and three constables for the whole of Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat. We rely heavily on volunteers and ordinary people for tip-offs."
It's no surprise then that the anti-poaching unit of Thane, which covers Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur and Thane, is actively seeking help from citizens on social media to track wildlife crime. The unit will now reportedly have a dedicated helpline number, email ID, volunteers to scour social media for illegal wildlife trade.
Rescued Indian star tortoises, (right) Pawan Sharma with baby parakeets rescued by his team
"Traditionally, illegal wildlife trade thrived in physical markets. Now, it is also burgeoning online, both blatantly and covertly." Although law enforcement has been partially successful in controlling illegal wildlife trade on major e-commerce platforms, social media seems to be a challenging terrain to track. "It has become a popular media to advertise, source, and trade species and wildlife products. Traders also often use code words to conduct illegal transactions. 'Chocolate' is the code for the red san boa snake, 'stripes' for tiger, 'dot' for leopard and 'chalk piece' for elephant tusk," he explains.
Two years ago, his team received a tip-off about the sale of a carved elephant tusk, worth Rs 4 crore, in Mumbai. Acting on the information, they went undercover, posed as buyers and managed to arrest the accused. "It was one of our biggest raids and it happened because we trusted the source and acted on the information received." According to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, enacted for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants, the act of hunting constitutes "capturing, killing, poisoning, snaring, or trapping any wild animal". In fact, injuring, damaging or stealing body parts of any animal also constitutes hunting. For wild birds and reptiles, "disturbing or damaging the eggs or nests" is tantamount to hunting. The amendment to the Act was enforced in January 2003 and punishment for offences was made more stringent.
Pawan Sharma, founder of RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare), says, "WCCB has a volunteering team. We are also building a network of informers across towns, cities and rural areas. They have been given ID cards to add legitimacy to their work. But now, we are also trying to raise awareness among the public. Almost every day, I receive WhatsApp messages to enquire whether a particular bird or animal is legal to possess."
Maranko, whose team conducts awareness sessions in rural and urban areas, says 90 per cent of the time, the information they receive is authentic. It's the reason why protecting the identity of the source is important. "This trust is what enables the source to disclose information that could potentially be in public interest. To appreciate their efforts, we often give them certificates. If it wasn't for alert citizens, many serious wrongdoings would go undetected."
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