Keywords
Community-Based Conservation
Mammals
Law Enforcement
Periyar Tiger Reserve.
How to Cite
Abstract
Hunting is believed to threaten the survival of many important wildlife species in India. However, few studies have documented this threat because hunting is prohibited under the Indian law and is therefore conducted covertly. In this study, we interviewed community members of a conservation project, who were currently or had previously hunted wildlife in and around Periyar Tiger Reserve, southern India. We documented the species hunted, hunting methods, and the profile of hunters to know the demographic and socio-economic drivers of illegal hunting. Ofthe 183 respondents, 32.8% had previously hunted and 7.1% were still engaged in hunting. Of the 20 different methods identified, hunters mainly used guns (33.4%), scavenged kills (30.0%), or set snares (26.7%). From 19 mammal, 12 bird and/or 3 reptile species hunted, the most commonly taken of any species were medium to large-bodied mammals (68.5%), especially Sambar Rusa unicolor (56.7%) and Wild Pig Sus scrofa (45.0%). These were mostly for household consumption or local trade. The respondents were more likely to hunt if male, married, and with a primary school education or none. For the Periyar Tiger Reserve, projects offering access to higher education, promotion of alternative protein use, and stricter law enforcement should strengthen efforts to reduce wildlife huntingReferences
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