Ukhrul forest team seizes protected birds offered as raffle prizes

A Manipur Forest Department team on Sunday seized several wildlife articles that were being displayed and offered as prizes in a lottery at the Headquarters Ground in Ukhrul, Northeast Now reported on Monday.

The Ukhrul Forest Division carried out the raid after receiving specific information about the illegal raffle.

What was seized

The items included species protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Among them were a Kalij pheasant, listed under Schedule I, the highest level of protection, and a grey francolin, listed under Schedule II. The 2022 amendment to the Act merged the old six schedules into four, with Schedules I and II now covering protected animals. Articles belonging to several other bird species were also recovered.

The suspected organisers escaped by slipping into the crowd during the commotion, officials said. The division has registered a Preliminary Offence Report (POR) and taken the seized items into custody. An investigation is under way to identify those responsible.

What the law says

Forest officials pointed out that hunting, capturing, keeping or trading protected wild animals is banned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, as amended in 2022. They warned that offences under Sections 9 and 51 of the Act carry jail terms of three to seven years along with heavy fines.

The department appealed to village headmen, local authorities, churches, civil society groups, youth unions and NGOs to help stamp out illegal wildlife activity.

Why it matters

Wild birds and game are still traded and offered as prizes at local events in parts of the hill districts. Conservationists say such practices drive hunting pressure on species like the Kalij pheasant, a ground-dwelling forest bird found across the Himalayan foothills and the Northeast. The grey francolin, a partridge-like bird, is more common in drier plains but is also widely trapped.

Ukhrul, a hill district bordering Myanmar, is known for its forests and the endemic Shirui lily.

How to report

People who come across wild animals or birds, or their parts, being sold, raffled or offered as prizes can inform the nearest forest range office, the district forest division or the local police. Officials say early tip-offs, like the one that led to Sunday's raid, are often the only way such sales are stopped.