STRENGTHENING OWL PROTECTION IN INDIA: NEW TOOLS LAUNCHED ON WORLD WILDLIFE DAY
Owl ID Cards- Engish
In light of this, TRAFFIC and WWF-India’s new identification (ID) tools for strengthening owl protection were launched on 3 March 2022 on the occasion of World Wildlife Day by Mr Bharat Jyoti, Director-IGNFA; Dr AJT Johnsingh, Emminent Wildlife Scientist; Mr Ravi Singh, SG & CEO, WWF-India; Ms Nidhi Srivastava, Principal, CASFOS; and Dr Saket Badola, Head, TRAFFIC India at CASFoS (Central Academy for State Forest Service), Dehradun.
The owl identification tools are in the form of ID cards to enable law enforcement authorities to accurately identify 16 commonly found owl species in the illegal wildlife trade. The ID cards are available in English and Hindi and will be distributed free to wildlife law enforcement agencies across India.
Authored by Dr Saket Badola, IFS, Head of TRAFFIC's India office and Dr Merwyn Fernandes, Coordinator, TRAFFIC's India office, the new ID tools provide essential information related to the species' legal status, habitat, and distribution. They provide valuable tips on identifying the owls at species level and highlight common threats.
On this occasion Dr Saket Badola said, "The main strategies to recover key wildlife species is to provide them a safe habitat and protect them from the threats of poaching and illegal trade. Protecting owls will support ecosystem restoration and biodiversity. Therefore, echoing with this year's theme of World Wildlife Day (WWD), "Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration", we are releasing these ID cards that will help wildlife law enforcement officials in their endeavours to protect the wildlife of India."
India is home to about 36 owl species, all protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, making their hunting, trade, or any other form of utilisation a punishable offence. All owl species found in India are also enlisted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which restricts their international trade.
Despite the legal protection, owls are often seen in the illegal wildlife trade. Since 2019, at least 20 seizure incidences related to the poaching and trafficking of owls have been reported in India, while many more go unreported.
Mr Ravi Singh, Secretary General & CEO, WWF-India, adds, "Owls play an essential ecological role in our ecosystem. They enhance agricultural productivity by keeping a check on the rodent populations. Unless trafficking and illicit trade of owls is controlled, the owl populations will remain under threat. Adequate conservation and protection efforts for owls and other endangered species is crucial for maintaining a healthy ecosystem".
ENDS
For any queries or more information, please contact Ms Dilpreet B. Chhabra, TRAFFIC, India office at dilpreet.chhabra@traffic.org or call +91 9899000472.
NOTES
- World Wildlife Day (WWD) is celebrated every year on 3 March, and this year's theme is "Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration". The celebrations will seek to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species of wild fauna and flora and to drive discussions towards imagining and implementing solutions to conserve them.
- TRAFFIC's latest poster and new identification cards highlight 16 owl species that are most commonly recorded in the illicit wildlife trade. These include:
- Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides
- Barn Owl Tyto alba, Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis
- Brown Hawk Owl Ninox scutulata
- Brown Wood-owl Strix leptogrammica
- Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei
- Collared Scops-owl Otus bakkamoena
- Dusky Eagle Owl Bubo coromandus
- Eastern Grass-owl Tyto longimembris
- Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum
- Mottled Wood-owl Strix ocellata
- Oriental Scops-owl Otus sunia
- Rock Eagle-owl Bubo bengalensis
- Spot-bellied Eagle-owl Bubo nipalensis
- Spotted Owlet Athene brama
- Tawny Fish-owl Ketupa flavipes.
Owl ID Cards- Engish
Owl ID Cards- Hindi
