Betting for exotic meat, gambling dens in Manipur descend further into illegality

Source: The post is based on the article “Betting for exotic meat, gambling dens in Manipur descend further into illegality” published in The Hindu on 30th November 2022.

What is the News?

Manipur Police has been conducting raids to catch raffle draw organizers allegedly offering prizes in the form of wild animal meat, including flying foxes, bearcats and rare birds.

Betting for Exotic Meat in Manipur

Wildlife activists said that there have been instances of people buying raffle draw tickets ranging from ₹100 to ₹500 to try their luck to win exotic meat.

The larger or rarer the bird or animal or body part, the higher the price of the ticket.

Apart from wild boars and deer, animals such as binturong (an arboreal mammal also known as bearcat), squirrels and flying foxes (bats) have been found to be on offer. 

Different types of birds such as the grey-sided thrush and tragopans (often called horned pheasants) have also been spotted.

Note: Blyth’s tragopan is the State bird of Nagaland.

What does the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 say on wildlife crime?

Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972 was enacted for the protection of plants and animal species.

The act prohibits the hunting of any wild animal specified in Schedules I, II, III and IV of the act.

Exception: A wild animal listed under these schedules can be hunted/ killed only after getting permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of the state if:

– It becomes dangerous to human life or to property (including standing crops on any land).

– It is disabled or suffering from a disease that is beyond recovery.