The threat of wildlife crime has always loomed large over wildlife in India. Be it the hunting and poaching of charismatic, larger mega-fauna such as the tiger and the Indian one-horned rhino, or the lesser-known and lesser protected ungulates and other smaller animals such as hares, monitor lizards, etc. Hunting for meat consumption and illegal trade has had considerable impact on wildlife populations. Now the COVID-19 pandemic is making it worse. In June 2020, TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network instituted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation (IUCN) came out with a report titled ‘Indian wildlife amidst the COVID-19 crisis: An analysis of poaching and illegal trade’ whose findings revealed “a significant increase” in the reported wildlife poaching cases in India between February 10 to May 3, 2020. “Reports of poaching incidences for consumption and local trade have more than doubled during lockdown although there was no evidence of stockpiling of wildlife products for future trade… The study indicates that despite consistent efforts by law enforcement agencies, wild animal populations in India are under additional threat during the lockdown period,” TRAFFIC further stated. Small mammals such as hares, porcupines, pangolins, giant squirrels, civets, monkeys and even small cats were targeted in the lockdown. There was a significant rise in recorded incidences of hunting of leopards. The number of arrests made by the law enforcement authorities too soared during the lockdown phase. Rise in Wildlife Crime: Pandemic’s Intensifying Collateral Damage - Wildlife Conservation Trust
