Dimapur, October 7 (MExN): The Centre Chakhesang Youth Organization (CCYO) on Wednesday strongly condemned as “misleading, concocted and false” the statement made by Nagaland PCCF and HoFF Vedpal at Mokokchung during Wildlife Week. The PCCF had claimed that Vezhoto Hesuh was detained not for taking photographs but for removing birds from their natural habitat and rearing them.
The CCYO in a statement said the remark was a “deliberate attempt to create a false narrative” and justify the “high-handed detention” of Hesuh, while disregarding the customary and traditional practices of the Naga people, which it said are constitutionally protected under Article 371A.
Owl was rescued, not captured: CCYO
The CCYO said the owl in question was not captured from the jungle but rescued by a minor boy from Porba Village, who found it near a footpath leading to the fields on a rainy day. The bird was “completely wet, shivering and apparently helpless,” and the boy dried and cared for it, saving its life, it said.
It added that the owl was never kept in a cage and was seen sitting freely on Hesuh’s shoulder in a circulated photograph. The bird eventually flew away to its natural habitat, the CCYO said, asking, “Where is the crime in rescuing and saving a helpless bird? And where is the cage?”
Great Barbet found injured, regarded as Traditional Clock
The CCYO said the Great Barbet was found injured by a minor boy returning from the field and was unable to fly. The boy took it home and cared for it for several years, it said, adding that for the community the bird is traditionally regarded as a natural clock and companion of the village, with its call indicating the time of day.
It said caring for rescued or injured birds and animals has been part of Naga customary practices and the community’s traditional relationship with nature for generations, and advised Vedpal not to make statements that insult or disregard those customs while relying solely on laws and administrative practices.
Questions over bird’s condition after seizure
The CCYO alleged that the Great Barbet taken from Porba was reportedly healthy when seized by officials, but was “so weak that it could not even fly properly” when returned. It questioned how the Forest Department could lecture villagers on caring for rescued wildlife if it could not maintain the bird’s health for a few days. The villagers nursed the bird back to strength before it returned to the jungle, and a video of it feeding on wild berries was shared with the department, it said.
Questions to PCCF & HoFF
The CCYO posed five questions to the PCCF and HoFF.
If people cannot rear birds or remove them from their natural habitat, where do animals and birds kept in the Nagaland Zoological Park come from? “Or does the Nagaland Forest Department manufacture wildlife in laboratories?”
If the department can keep animals confined in a zoo for public viewing, why is a member of the public who rescues an injured or helpless bird treated as an offender?
Why was Hesuh detained when he did not collect or remove the birds from their habitat, and what was the specific basis for his detention?
Was Hesuh’s alleged confession obtained under pressure or coercion, and is obtaining a confession under pressure the department’s method of enforcing wildlife protection?
Will the same standards be applied to influential persons, VIPs and politicians alleged to keep wild animals and birds in private farmhouses, estates and bungalows, or is enforcement intended only for ordinary people?
Wildlife Week ‘should not justify detention’
The CCYO questioned whether the Wildlife Week programme at Mokokchung was organised to promote genuine awareness and conservation or to provide a platform for a “one-sided and manufactured narrative” to justify Hesuh’s detention.
It said wildlife conservation cannot be built on intimidation, selective enforcement, disregard for local communities or denigration of customary practices, and called upon the PCCF and HoFF to respect the customary practices, traditions and rights of the Naga people.
The CCYO demanded an immediate and clear clarification from the PCCF and HoFF on each of the questions raised and urged the department to refrain from making misleading statements concerning Hesuh and the people of Porba.
