Sometime in the first week of March this year, Parvez, a 14-year old teen, called me up from his father’s cell phone in the early morning hours. There was a definite sense of urgency in his voice. He was gasping for breath as if he had run a long way to get to the phone. In a shaky voice, Parvez informed about spotting two people, in the outskirts of the village along the forest boundary, who have installed bird snares. Our field assistant was immediately rushed at the spot to verify the tip.

A dozen of these snares with unidentified bird feathers and fruits of Roina (Aphanamixis polystachya), kept as bait, were recovered from the spot. Following this, an input was sent out to the local forester. A similar incident was reported two days later. This time around, a team from the Forest Department was rushed, but unfortunately, the culprits were already on run. Two snares were removed this time.

Snare with fruits of Roina (Aphanamixis polystachya) as bait | Photograph by WTI

However, what’s incredible about these incidents is the source of the information. Usually, one doesn’t expect a child, especially from a remote village along the Indo-Nepal border to come up or act upon such information. Villages around here are surrounded by cane forests on three sides, and there are regular reports of illegal felling, stealing of peafowl eggs, installation of snares and also killing and poaching of jungle fowls and wild boars. Though Parvez’s family doesn’t have a history of hunting, it is commendable that he decided to act upon this one.

But things have changed for the good.

Wildlife Trust of India, along with the support of local forest department staff and have been conducting awareness workshops for the past couple of years. In fact, where Parvez hails from, WTI has been able to conduct community awareness programs on four different occasions. The topic of discussion has always been around the legal aspects of killing wild animals and ill-effects of forest fires and deforestation. However, the form of engagement has been through community chaupals, plays and ceremonies, with programs specially designed for schools and educational institutions. Thankfully, the impact is already showing.

A snare in the fringe villages along the Into-Nepal Border | Photograph by WTI

Parvez hasn’t been the only kid who has been positively motivated through these programs. In another event, Krish, a student of standard seven, reported about a peahen that was kept in captivity in another village. Krish was on a trip to his aunt’s when he noticed the peahen, protected under Schedule 1 of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, and remembered it well enough to inform WTI’s field assistant when he was back home after a week. Rearing a peahen chick alongside chicken is common in these parts. Villagers would often return from the forest with peafowl eggs and keep it in the chicken coup, for incubation. To identify that this is wrong and falls in the purview of wildlife crime is commendable, when it comes from a kid.

These kids are definite examples of what can be achieved through targeted interventions. When it comes to wildlife of India, everyone is a stakeholder and each one us has a role to play. We hope that Parvez and Krish grow up to become role-models for the society.

Supported by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), WTI has been working across the Indo-Nepal border to strengthen wildlife crime control and counter cross-border illegal wildlife trade.