Project: Zero Hunting Campaign
An initiative to eliminate illegal wildlife hunting during traditional festivals in West Bengal through awareness and community collaboration.
The Challenge: Ritualistic Hunting Festivals
A significant conservation challenge in parts of West Bengal involves the practice of ritualistic wildlife hunting during specific festivals, known locally as "SHIKAR UTSAV". Primarily associated with tribal communities, though participation from the general community has also been observed, these events involved large numbers of people, estimated at almost fifty thousand in South Bengal during festival seasons.
This practice, often involving the hunting of various wild animals, posed a severe threat to local wildlife populations and represented an illegal, cruel, and socially detrimental activity that required urgent intervention.
Our Approach: Awareness & Collaboration
Our strategy focused on direct engagement, awareness building, and collaboration with key stakeholders to discourage participation in these hunts.
Project Objectives
- Reduce and ultimately eliminate illegal hunting during festival periods in target regions.
- Raise awareness among local communities, government bodies, and other stakeholders about wildlife conservation's importance and the illegality of hunting.
- Collaborate with communities, government (Forest Dept.), and conservation partners to develop and implement effective anti-hunting strategies.
Core Activities (Methodology)
- Engaged directly with tribal communities and leaders in hunting-prone areas to understand perspectives and request cessation of hunting.
- Conducted targeted awareness programs in collaboration with the Forest Department in tribal areas and known hunting locations.
- Organized awareness campaigns, workshops, and events to disseminate information about conservation laws and values.
- Attempted direct persuasion of known hunters to refrain from participating in festival hunts.
- Established systems for monitoring project progress and effectiveness.
Project Scope & Campaign Periods
- Period 1:
- April 23 - May 1, 2018
- Location 1:
- Ajodhya, Purulia, West Bengal
- Collaboration 1:
- Forest Department West Bengal (Purulia Division), WNE (NGO)
- Period 2:
- May 13 - May 18, 2018
- Location 2:
- Khirai, Panskura, East Medinipur, West Bengal
- Collaboration 2:
- Forest Department West Bengal (East Medinipur Division), WNE (NGO)
- Period 3:
- May 16 - June 5, 2019
- Location 3:
- Khirai, Panskura, East Medinipur, West Bengal
- Collaboration 3:
- Forest Department West Bengal (East Medinipur Division), WNE (NGO)
Project Activities Gallery
Visuals depicting community interactions, awareness sessions, and collaborations during the Zero Hunting campaigns. (Replace placeholders with actual photos).
Community Engagement
Engaging with tribal community members during awareness sessions in Purulia/Medinipur areas.
Collaboration with Authorities
Working alongside Forest Department officials during campaign periods.
Observed Impact & Results
Through direct engagement and sustained awareness efforts, the Zero Hunting Campaign achieved notable progress:
- Increased Awareness: Educational outreach successfully informed communities and stakeholders about the negative impacts and illegality of ritualistic hunting.
- Community Support: Encouragingly, segments of the involved communities expressed support and stood with the campaign's objectives.
- Collaborative Action: The project demonstrated effective collaboration between NGOs, the Forest Department, and tribal leaders in addressing a sensitive conservation issue.
- Direct Intervention: Attempts were made to directly convince individual hunters to cease participation, contributing to the overall pressure against the practice.
While eliminating such a deep-rooted practice requires long-term effort, the campaigns laid crucial groundwork by fostering dialogue, raising awareness, and building alliances for conservation.