After reading this essay you will learn about:- 1. Concept of Wildlife Management 2. Wildlife Management Process 3. Protected Area.
Essay on Wildlife Management
1. Essay on the Concept of Wildlife Management:
Wildlife includes all free-ranging vertebrates in their naturally associated environments. But, truly speaking, wildlife includes all plants, animals in wild ecosystems. Most wildlife management is directed toward birds and mammals.
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Fish management has developed quite separately, and amphibians, reptiles and plants have received little attention in wildlife management until the recently increased concern for endangered species. Wildlife management is the art of making land produce valuable populations of wildlife.
It is implied that this definition includes the control of pest populations to limit negative value of wildlife. Wildlife management involves direct population management (control of harvest, transplanting etc.) and indirect management of populations through habitat manipulation to favour or inhibit target species.
The principles of wildlife management include some that are specific of the profession and many that are shared with other professions and sciences. Therefore, the education of a wildlife manager should include study not only of wildlife biology and management, but also of basic sciences, such as chemistry and meteorology, and applied sciences related to land use, such as forestry, agriculture and economics (Fig 6.5).
Wildlife management is a part of wildlife conservation. Most wildlife managers participate in several activities in the conservation process because some of their efforts involve administration, education, law enforcement and research.
i. Wildlife Conservation:
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Wildlife conservation is a social process encompassing both lay and professional activities that define and seek to attain wise use of wildlife resources and maintain the productivities of wildlife habitats. Wildlife managers, research biologists, administrators, extension agents, and also mining company lobbyists, non-governmental organisations etc. participate in this process.
The professional activities in wildlife conservation are research, education, administration, law enforcement and management (see Fig. 6.6).
ii. Wildlife Values:
The values and benefits of wildlife can be classified in various ways. A distinction is often made between consumptive and non-consumptive uses of wildlife.
Consumptive use is one form of direct use, as described in Table 6.14, and may be of either a traditional (e.g., bush-meat and harvesting of medical plants) or non-traditional (e.g. safari hunting) nature. Non-consumptive use generally refers to non-use, or non-consumptive values of wildlife which may also be of either a traditional or non-traditional nature.
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Traditional non-consumptive values embrace the cultural use of wildlife, including the reverence of certain species and the use of wildlife imagery in art, folklore and religion. Non-traditional, non-use (non-consumptive) values include the existence values of wildlife as perceived by Western conservationists.
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(a) Direct-use values are the resources and services provided by directly harvesting and exploiting wildlife and by natural areas.
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(b) Indirect-use values comprise mainly the environmental functions of natural areas—ecological functions (such as nutrient cycling), protection functions (such as ground cover for key watersheds), waste assimilation functions (such as the retention and detoxification of pollution) and wider functions (such as microclimatic stabilisation and carbon storage).
These environmental functions all indirectly support economic activity and human welfare. However, individual wildlife species may also have important indirect-use value through key ecological roles.
(c) Option values relate to the amount that individuals would be willing to pay to conserve wildlife and wild lands, or at least some of their direct and indirect applications, for future use.
(d) Existence values relate to valuation of these resources as unique assets in themselves, with no connection to their use values. This would include the worth of wildlife species, natural areas and overall biodiversity as objects of intrinsic and stewardship value and as unique cultural and heritage assets.
iii. Wildlife Biology:
Conservation of wildlife resources is intimately related to conservation of all other natural resources. Conservation is influenced by society’s needs, ideals and morals and by its definition of a quality life for humans.
Quality living requires that individuals be free to choose from a variety of life experiences and opportunities for self-expression. A diverse environment, including wild lands and wildlife, is necessary to provide these opportunities for personal experience and self-expression is determined by its resources, knowledge, attitudes and conservation, all in relation to its population size.
Wildlife biologists manage land ecosystems supporting a great variety and abundance of plants and animals that are interrelated in many complex ways, including—but not limited to—food webs and competition.
The complexity of an ecosystem managed by a wildlife biologist is at least as great as that of any system managed by any profession. This complexity defies complete understanding, limits confidence in predictions and requires caution in management prescriptions.
Wildlife have several values—commercial, recreational, biological, scientific, social, esthetic and negative. Commercial, recreational, and negative values can be measured in monetary terms. The other values are difficult or impossible to measure.
Since wildlife values are not commensurable, the total value of a wildlife population can be estimated by its cost of replacement Wild animals have numerous anatomical, physiological, and learned and genetical behavioural adaptions that enhance their abilities to live in certain ways in certain kind of environments.
Good nutrition enhances wildlife reproduction and reduces wildlife susceptibility to many forms of mortality. Quality wildlife foods are digestible and provide water, energy, and several required nutrients.
The quantities and qualities of foods required by wildlife are highly variable among species of wildlife, among the sex-age classes of animals, among seasons and related physiological functions of animals, and among weather conditions and geographical regions.
Food shortages are not uncommon among carnivores. Herbivores have strong forage preference related to forage quality. Herbivores tend to experience nutritional problems, not for lack of foliage, but, whenever available, forage is of poor quality.
The quantities and qualities of food available to wildlife are highly variable among areas, seasons and years. Food quantities are influenced by weather and many site factors. For herbivores, forage qualities are influenced by weather, site factors, genetics of plants and the parts of plants eaten.
Full understanding of the nutritional dynamics of wildlife requires periodic assessment of food abundance, analysis of forage qualities, study of food habits and preferences, and study of the nutritional physiology of wildlife species. Biologists seldom have full understanding of the nutritional dynamics of wildlife population they manage.
Awareness of the zoogeographic history of a wildlife species can enhance understanding of its ecological adaptations and limitations, its requirements for habitat resources, and its abilities to withstand competition in various environments.
Although natural barriers—especially climate and salt water— have delayed dispersal of terrestrial vertebrates, the dominant pattern of the part has been for successive newly evolved taxa of disperse and replace—rather than supplement—existing fauna.
Thus, transplants of competing animals from other continents present a threat of ultimate extinction to elements of a native fauna. This threat is greatest when animals are transplanted from continents onto oceanic islands where faunal diversity and competition have been low.
2. Essay on the Process of Wildlife Management:
For wildlife management purposes, it is useful to classify the numerous and complexly interrelated factors operating in ecosystems as welfare factors, deciminating factors and environmental influences. Welfare factors, the habitat requirements of wildlife species, can be defined at several levels of resolution.
At the lowest level of resolution:
(1) All species require oxygen, foods, cover types, species needs, interspersion and space. With increasingly greater resolution, the habitat requirements of a species can be defined,
(2) Empirically as a list of needed habitat types,
(3) As a list of specific welfare factors and
(4) As a list of welfare factor components.
Suitable habitat must supply welfare factors, regardless of sex, age or class of animals, during all seasons and weather conditions. Detecting limiting welfare factors is basic to efficient programmes of habitat management.
Two methods for detecting limiting factors are:
(1) Observing correlations between trends of welfare factors and trends in population performance, and
(2) Observing symptoms of welfare factors deficiencies in the animals and symptoms of welfare-factors overcome in the habitat.
Wildlife habitats are not stable. Much change occurring in habitats is due to biotic succession, retrogression, or to rather sudden natural or man-caused disturbances such as by fire, logging or flooding.
These changes alter food, cover and other habitat resources for all wildlife species and are fairly predictable. Much wildlife habitat management is, therefore, the management of succession, retrogression and disturbance.
Weather affects wildlife directly as a cause of mortality and indirectly by restricting animal movements and influencing the abundance and availabilities of habitat resources and the abundance of competitions, predators and disease organisms.
Wildlife management consists of controlling the number, distribution, and quality of wild animals, either directly — as by manipulating wildlife habitat. Selecting a data basis for a management programme is one of the management biologist’s most important decisions.
Selection will be influenced by the availability and precision of methods for measuring population and habitat characteristics and by budget constraints; but the selected data base should have a meaningful relation to management objectives.
The types of wildlife measurements are:
(1) Population indices,
(2) Population censuses,
(3) Habitat measurements, and
(4) Indices of ecological density including population-condition and habitat-condition indices.
Wildlife management is the art of making land produce populations of wildlife, for harvest or other values.
In simplest terms, wildlife management consists of a series of decisions — whether to have a long hunting season or a short one, whether to plant food patches and pine trees or to manipulate food and cover with fire or herbicides, whether to spend money on a grain-check station or on a forage survey, whether to compromise biologically optimum goals with prevailing public opinion, whether to improve existing habitat or to purchase more land, and whether to feed deer during severe winters or to reduce the deer herd or to improve the natural supply of winter foods.
These decisions must be made every year.
An overall scheme for wildlife management processes is given in Fig. 6.7:
Ecosystem People:
In West Champaran district of Bihar lies Sariyaman, a horseshoe-shaped lake with a spread of 9 sq. km. formed by a shift in the course of the river Narayani.
Manjharia is on the bank of the lake, with 250 refugee families from Bangladesh, primarily of the Das and Namasudra communities who were resettled in what was scrubland with scattered paddy fields. They remain totally dependent on locally produced biomass for all of their requirements; the one school shed in the village being the only brick, cement and asbestos structure.
The village is surrounded on three sides by the lake, and on the fourth by the forest. This permits them to raise three-props of paddy, that is supplemented by fish from the lake for their food. The naturally growing bamboo is excellent construction material, and the elephant grass serves to thatch the roofs.
They stall feed the cattle on grass collected from the lake shore and use the dung and straw as fuel. So they have no need of fuel-wood. They neither poach on the wild animals, nor encroach on the forests for cultivation.
As a result, large flocks of waterfowl take refuge in the lake adjoining Manjharia. Their only problem is the damage that wild pigs and cheetal inflict on their crops. They are also concerned with the overfishing and poaching of wildlife by other villagers on the bank of Sariyaman.
Voluntary Efforts:
All over India there exist highly motivated groups dedicated to nature conservation working at the grassroots. These could come to play a valuable role in organizing decentralised, people-oriented conservation efforts throughout the countryside.
One such group is Nature Conservation Society (NCS) in Bihar. NCS is -based in Daltonganj, the commission headquarters of the Chhota Nagpur area of south Bihar. It was founded in 1976 by a group of college and university teachers and forest department officials. Later on, more members from other sections of society were added.
Its primary purpose was to help the newly-created Palamau Tiger Reserve by awareness- building among general masses in anti-poaching activities and in interaction with local communities. It works in full collaboration with the Forest Department.
It has organized college and school students in the form of Nature Clubs in urban as well as rural areas. The Nature Clubs have surveyed tribal villages, run competitions on wildlife and forests, and sponsored camps in forest areas.
The documentation by these clubs since 1978 is now the basis of monitoring the biodiversity of Palamau Tiger Reserve. NCS has encouraged college teachers to undertake wildlife research and has helped eight of them to complete their doctoral degrees.
NCS has been associated with the World Bank in eco-development activities in the Palamau Tiger Reserve, with the Bihar State Government in watershed development programmes, and with WWF in the Tiger Conservation programme. NCS served as the co-ordinating agency for the People’s Biodiversity Project (PBR) project for the state of Bihar.
3. Essay on the Protected Areas for Wildlife Management:
There are two basic mode of wildlife management process. These are named as in-situ conservation i.e., on site preservation; and ex-situ conservation i.e., experimental situation in monitored condition. For in-situ conservation of species of threatened plants and animals, various types of protected area demarcation is suggested. The details of protected area categories and their objectives are given in Table 6.15.
In India such a protected area network comprises of about 89 National Parks, 500 Sanctuaries and 13 Biosphere reserves, constituting around 3.5 to 4% of the total geographical area of the country. In addition there are large number of preservation plots, reserve forests, reserve plantation plots, sacred grove,.
By and large all types of protected area constitute over 12% of the total forest area of the country. This network of protected areas covers most of the representative habitat types in the country and affords protection both to the wild flora and fauna.
(a) Biosphere Reserves:
Area rich in biodiversity and encompassing unique and representative ecosystems are identified and designated as “Biosphere Reserves”. The goal is to facilitate conservation of representative landscapes and India’s immense biological diversity which is estimated to be over 47,000 plant species and 81,000 animal species representing about, 7% of the world’s flora and 6.5% of world’s fauna, respectively.
Biosphere reserve network programme was launched by UNESCO in 1971 under its Man and the Biosphere Programme.
The prime objectives of this programme are as follows:
1. Conserve representative samples of ecosystems;
2. Provide long term in-situ conservation of genetic diversity;
3. Promote and facilitate basic and applied research and monitoring;
4. Provide opportunities for education and training;
5. Promote appropriate sustainable management of the living reserve;
6. Disseminate the experience so as to promote sustainable development elsewhere; and
7. Promote International Co-operation.
In each of the Biosphere reserve there are two zones-“core areas“, which is strictly protected in order to maintain their ecological integrity and “Buffer areas” where some activities of resource exploitation and also towards developments can be accounted for.
Sixteen Biosphere Reserves set up so far not only aim at protecting representative ecosystems, but also serve as laboratories for evolving alternative models of development. A list of Biosphere reserves set up so
(b) Sanctuaries:
These are protected areas generally species oriented. For example, Citrus sanctuary Napenttus sanctuary. Orchid sanctuary, Great Indian Bustard sanctuary. Bird sanctuary etc. The size of sanctuary area ranges from 0.61 to 7818 sq. km. This is a notified area as per Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The boundaries in sanctuaries are not sacrosanct. The biotic interference in sanctuaries is limited, but tourism is permissible.
(c) National Parks:
These are hitched to the habitat for particular wild animals. The size of National Parks vanes from 0.04 to 3162 sq. km. The boundaries of National Parks and also Biosphere reserves are circumscribed by an act of State Legislature, and are, therefore, alterable only by the Legislature. There should not none whatsoever activities in National Park Limited tourism is permitted in National Park also.
(d) Tiger Reserves:
As per the recommendations of a special task force of the Indian Board of Wildlife, Project Tiger was launched with the following objectives:
i. To ensure maintenance of available population of tiger in India for scientific, economic aesthetic, cultural and ecological values;
ii. To preserve, for all times, the areas of such biological importance as a national heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people.
In the year 2009, there are 29 Tiger Reserves spreading over on 14 states and covering an area of about 37,761 sq. km area.
Locational details of various Tiger reserves are given in Table 6.15:
(e) Elephant Conservation Areas:
A good number area are now declared under elephant consecration sites.
The detailed given in Table 6.16:
In these protected areas, there are a number of traditional and non-traditional management practices which could be undertaken for maintaining adequate wildlife population. In cases, threatened wildlife population not only increased but also help to get back the consumptive uses also.
The details of management regimes are given in Tables 6.17 & 6.18:
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(a) Wildlife cropping is the management of large savannah mammals by periodic culling, whilst producing a sustainable yield of products such as meat, hides and skins.
Cropping (or culling) is also done on an ad hoc basis to solve over-population of wildlife. Cropping can be a high- cost exercise because of the logistics of harvesting game, retrieving the carcasses and organising carcass inspection if the meat is intended for human consumption.
The animals should be easily accessible. In some cases, it is necessary to invest in abattoir and refrigeration facilities. Cropping for meat is economically viable only if there is a large internal market for game meat products or if high-value products, such as zebra skins, are involved.
Parker (1984) and Bell (1984) have pointed out that the most economically efficient croppers in Africa are poachers. They have an in-depth knowledge of the area and species, have low maintenance costs, use appropriate technology and do not have to satisfy stringent hygiene requirements.
(b) Wildlife farming is the rearing and harvesting of wild animals in artificial conditions. The animals are usually kept at high population densities and receive special diets and veterinary care.
Species farmed include ostrich, crocodile and eland. It involves high initial and recurrent costs and requires good knowledge of the biology of species involved. Often the products are destined for luxury markets and have high value.
(c) Sport/Ceremonial hunting is a lightly consumptive utilisation option. Animals are tacked and hunted in a ‘wilderness environment‘ and the prestige lies in taking home the trophy (e.g., head or skin). If well regulated and managed, safari hunting can deliver quick and substantial profits. This type of hunting may be less environmentally damaging than wildlife tourism, since it involves smaller numbers of tourists.
A hunting operation requires a professional hunter and staff, basic infrastructure and equipment. Profits depend partly on the availability of a suitable range of ‘plains game’ (e.g., zebra, various antelope species) and ‘big game’ (e.g., lion, leopard, elephant).
Returns from hunting are high and land owners/communities can charge a fee for each animal hunted. Communities can demand that the outfitter employs local labour wherever possible, and trains local people in skinning and trophy preparation.
Sacred Groves:
Mundas, Oraons and Santhals are tribal groups spread over many forested districts of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. Several of our study sites in Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa fall in their tract.
Here the tribals still display many traditional conservation practices. These include protection of sacred groves from which no plant material is removed. These sacred groves are called Saranas, and harbour their deities in natural forms such as stones.
These Saranas fulfil a variety of functions welcoming entrants to the village, favouring a good harvest of crops, protection against wild animals and epidemics, guarding against evil spirits, etc.
Many tribal festivals are linked to plants; sal (Shorea robusta) with sarhul, karam (Adina cordifolia) with karama, simal (Bombax malabarica) and seedha (Lagerstroemia parviflora) with weddings.
Traditionally, tribals practice an annual ritual hunt after worshipping the forest god. In this hunt they spare pregnant females and all immature animals. The herbal medicine men belonging to these communities promote protection of medicinal plants from overharvesting, fire and grazing.
These traditions are now being eroded due to two forces:
Organized religions like Hinduism and Christianity and commercial interests who are often helped by the Forest Department. Our investigations Suggest that about 90 per cent of the total harvests of plant and animal materials from the area are for export and that those engaged in such export have little concern for sustainability.
All the above stated conservation programmes are in-situ or on site conservation. But there are a number of cases where the conservation is made outside their habitats i.e., ex-situ conservation. These activities imply conservation of species by perpetuating sample population in genetic resources centres, zoos, botanical gardens, culture collections centre, gene bank, and seed bank etc.
Botanical Gardens play an important role in the conservation of plant species so much so that there are several instances when plants believed to be extinct were found living only in botanical gardens.
Many endemic species, rare and endangered species could be maintained in botanical garden as a germplasm stock. The Indian Green Book prepared by Botanical Survey of India lists 100 such plant species which are rare, endangered or endemic but all growing in living state in some botanic gardens of the country.
Zoological Park/Garden also acts as a centre for conservation of animals also. It is also the favourable site for the captive breeding of rarest animals. There are a number of zoo gardens set up at different cities of the country for public recreation as well as research and development activities on selected animals.
Seed Bank is a mode of germplasm conservation by storing seeds at cold storage (at 4 to 15°C). A good number of seed banks are already set up in the country for storing cultivated crop species.
By this method recalcitrant seeds (i.e. seeds which cannot be stored at low moisture level) cannot be stored for long time. Dry storage or cryogenic storage may be the alternative methods. Storage of tissues through callous embryo, pollen and sperm etc. are also the various modes of germplasm conservation.
A national Gene Bank is set up as national plant/animal genetic resource centre, maintaining many different germplasm samples of current and potential interest to people working in research nationally.
In recent FAO report (1996), there are over 1,308 gene banks found in the world of which 496 banks are located in Europe, 101 in USA, 293 in Asia, and 227 in Latin American countries. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), India, having more of 175,000 accessions of plant types stored in gene bank. This number is increased by 1,500 to 2,000 per year.
Bishnois—an Eco-Religion:
The conservation of biodiversity has now become a global concern. It was internationalized at the Earth Summit held in 1992. Different countries are presently evolving strategies for economic development and the sustainable use of their biodiversity by trying to involve indigenous communities.
But can one imagine that more than 450 years ago, one simple villager from a remote desert area, without the benefit of even basic formal education, clearly understood the importance of preserving biodiversity? They not only understood it themself but had the wisdom of influencing generations of people to preserve it by weaving it with their religion.
Guru Jambeshwarji or Jamboji, as he is now affectionately referred to by his followers, was a great saint and a philosopher of the medieval period of Indian history. The rulers and religious heads of that time exploited the poor in the name of rituals. Jamboji raised his voice against this exploitation.
He launched a new sect and prescribed 29 tenets. The followers of these 29 tenets are called Bishnois (literally meaning ‘twenty-niners’ in Hindi).
Of the 29 tenets laid down by him, 10 are directed towards personal hygiene and maintaining good basic health. These provide simple instructions like drinking filtered water, taking a daily bath and improving sanitary conditions.
Eight tenets have been prescribed to preserve biodiversity and encourage good animal husbandry. These include a ban on killing of all animals and felling green trees and providing protection to all life forms.
The followers are even directed to see that the fire-wood is devoid of small insects before burning it in their hearths. Even the wearing of blue clothes is prohibited, because the dye for colouring them is obtained by cutting a large quantity of shrubs.
Seven tenets provide directions for healthy social behaviour. These direct the followers to live a simple, truthful life and avoid making false arguments. Criticising others is prohibited and in the event of being criticised by others, tolerance is to be shown. The followers are advised to donate for a good cause but the donations should be given only to the right type of people.
Five tenets provide guidelines for worshiping God daily and to always remember that God is omnipresent. On every amavasya (new moon night), a fast should be observed and at regular intervals havan (lighting of holy fire) is to be performed for the salvation of the soul. In a Bishnoi temple, no statue of any deity is kept. Only a lamp filled with “ghee” (clarified butter) is kept lit in front of a painting of Guru Jamboji.
While praying, no elaborate ceremonies or rituals are performed by the priests. With folded hands, they repeat the teachings of their guru Jamboji or the shabd (words) spoken by him. Bishnois are basically worshipers of Lord Vishnu.
Because of its simplicity, a large number of people, mostly farmers of the region, adopted the Bishnoi sect willingly. Over the years it spread to other parts of India and the number of followers increased. Presently, Bishnois are spread over the western parts of Rajasthan and parts of Haryana and Punjab.
Perhaps because of their eco-friendly life, the Bishnois are more prosperous than other communities living in the Thar desert. With plenty of trees and other vegetation and herbs of antelopes roaming freely near their homes, their villages are easily distinguishable. They generally raise only one crop of bajra (Pennisetum typhoides) during the monsoon season.
The crop is entirely dependent on the uncertain rainfall. The fields are ploughed with simple ploughs using bullocks or camels. This ploughing causes least damage to the fragile desert eco-system.
It does not interfere with the small bushy growth of xerophytic vegetation like the ber and phog which grow in the fields. These bushes protect the loose sand from wind erosion and provide the much needed fodder for animals during a famine.
The Bishnois not only live an eco-friendly life, they are eco-friendly even in their death rites. Despite being staunch Hindus, they do not burn their dead. The dead are buried to save precious wood and trees. They are strict vegetarians, teeto tallers and non-smokers.
Bishnoi men are well-built, hard-working and friendly. They normally wear white shirts, dhotis and a loosely tied white turban on their heads. This dress is ideal for the hot dry desert climate.
The Bishnoi women are beautiful and sharp-featured. They are fond of donning gorgeous gold ornaments like the borla (on the forehead), nose rings, earrings and necklaces. They also put on heavy silver anklets. Like their men, the women too are hard-working. They collect fuel, fetch water, grind flour, cook meals and churn curd for butter. During the crop season, they also help their men in hoeing and weeding.
The traditional Bishnoi houses have a conical thatched roof and mud-plastered walls. These houses provide remarkable protection against the hot summer. There are separate chambers for living and cooking. Water is stored in underground tanks called “tankas” by collecting rain water. Cattle are kept in a separate compound adjoining the house. A shed made of thatch is provided in the compound.
Bishnoi history, although not well-chronicled, was recorded by bhaats (nomads) who kept family records of all marriages, births and deaths, etc. The bhaats were paid by the family in kind. According to them, in 1737, an official of Jodhpur State started felling a few Khejri trees in Khejerli village for burning of lime needed for the State. This was opposed by the Bishnois of the village.
The initiative in this case was taken by a woman. Amritadevi, a mother of three minor daughters, was the first to sacrifice her life by hugging the tree that was being axed. She defied the orders of the State and tried to prevent the felling of a Khejri tree. She was killed. Her example was followed first by her three daughters and later on by a long chain of Bishnoi men, women and children.
For every tree felled in Khejerli village, a man, woman or a child made the extreme sacrifice. In all, 363 Bishnois from Khejerli and adjoining villages sacrificed their lives.
When this news reached the Maharaja of Jodhpur, he apologized for the mistake committed by his official and issued a royal decree, engraved on a copper plate, prohibiting the cutting of trees and hunting of animals in ail Bishnoi villages in the State.
It was also ordered that if by mistake any individual violate this order, he would be prosecuted by the State and a severe penalty imposed. Even the members of the ruling family did not shoot animals in or even near the Bishno; villages. A monument and a temple has been raised at this site in Khejerli village in memory of these 363 martyrs.
Every year, on the day of this sacrifice, Bishnois in their thousands assemble here to observe the extreme sacrifice made by their people for the sake of their faith and religion. Khejri trees and the antelopes, particularly the blackbuck and chinkara, are aggressively protected by Bishnois even now.
There is a saying that goes “Sir santhe rookh rahe to bhi sasto jaari” (If a tree is saved from felling at the cost of one’s head, it should be considered as a good deed). The antelopes are not only protected by them but they also share their food and water with them. In a number of villages the animals are hand-fed by the Bishnois.
There will hardly be any Bishnoi village in Rajasthan where stories of trigger-happy hunters are not narrated with pride.
The sound of a gunfire in a Bishnoi village immediately attracts men, women and children. They surround the hunter and make his escape impossible. In case the poachers escape after leaving the dead antelope in an agricultural field, the owner of the field will mourn its death like that of a relative. He will not eat food or drink water till the last rites for the dead animal are performed.
In their bid to escape, the hunters sometimes fire at these people also. At times, the Bishnois are injured and even killed by the hunters. The stories of such sacrifices are narrated with a sense of pride by the villagers.
Recently, in Lohawat village, a school teacher named Birbal Bishnoi lost his life in an attempt to catch a poacher who had killed a chinkara. With the increased use of four- wheel drive jeeps by poachers, the Bishnois now come out of the houses at the sound of a jeep in their fields.
It is because of this rigid protection provided by the entire Bishnoi community that the blackbuck and chinkara roam fearlessly in Bishnoi settlements. It is for this environmental awareness and commitment that the Bishnois stand apart from countless other sects and communities in India.