This time the Bhagwant Mann government felt the pain of wildlife. In lieu of this, the state government in its recent meeting of the Punjab State Wildlife Board, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took many decisions and one of the decision is not to ‘consume’ wildlife i.e. Nilgai (Blue bull) after hunting it, while revoking previous government decisions.
Most importantly, the state government, Now onwards, only a .315 bore gun is allowed to hunt and not the most common .12 bore that sometimes does not kill but only results in awful injuries to the animal, leading to a painful death. The aim now is that if the animal causing damage to life and property needs to be killed, it should be killed in a ‘single shot’. In the time of the previous government, it was permitted to hunt wildlife and further use carcasses of wildlife for local consumption. However, it has increased the fancy of hunters legal and illegal many times over the period of time, which AAP government has brought to an end after the Punjab State Wildlife Board Meeting.
As per recent reports, Two leopards and a barking deer were recently illegally hunted by professional hunters under the guise of limited hunting permits to farmers which were issued by the state government for shooting wild boar and nilgai (blue bull) “in the farmer’s fields” as these animals damage crops.
As per minutes of meeting of the State Wildlife Board which has allowed short-term permits to aggrieved farmers — not to the hunters or others — as was the case earlier. The hunted animal will be the property of the ‘state government ‘ unlike previously when hunters would take away the animal for consumption.
As per the minutes of the meeting, in the last meeting of the Punjab State Wildlife Board, headed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the board was informed that the divisional forest officers (DFOs) and sub-divisional officers (civil) were authorized by various notifications to issue permits for the limited hunting of wild animals in the state to prevent massive damage to crops. This limited hunting permit is applicable for the entire state except for Abohar and Fazilka.
