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- On September 30, officers of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the Uttar Pradesh forest department raided houses and factories in the sleepy village of Sherkot in Bijnor district, UP, to seize 155 kgs of raw mongoose hair and 56,000 brushes made from it.
- This was the biggest seizure of its kind in the country and officials estimated that at least 3,000 animals were killed to collect so much hair.
- Mongooses — small carnivorous mammals, with a long body and tail and a grizzled or banded coat — are widely found in India, in the countryside, on farm land and in forest areas.
- Traditional hunting communities that prey on them include the Narikuruvas in Tamil Nadu, Hakki Pakki in Karnataka, Gonds in Andhra and Karnataka, and the Gulias, Seperas and Nath in central and northern India. These communities are the main suppliers of raw mongoose hair.
- Six different species are found across the country: Indian grey mongoose, small Indian mongoose, ruddy mongoose, crab-eating mongoose, stripe-necked mongoose and brown mongoose.
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- The Indian grey mongoose is the most commonly found species and also the most hunted.
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- Mongooses are listed under Schedule 2, Part 2 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and their hunting, possession, transportation and trade are offences, punishable with imprisonment up to seven years.
- They are also protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
- Despite all these raids, if you go to any shop in major Indian cities, they still stock brushes made out of mongoose hair. The number of animals killed for this trade is the single largest threat the species faces today,”
- . “Even though there are other alternatives available, the fine quality of the hair, its durability and brittleness has endangered the animal.”
- The sensitivity of the brush, the fine finishing and its capacity to absorb paint are what makes it preferable for many artists.
- Synthetic brushes just don’t have the same quality,”
- . “Having said that, many artists are aware of the issue and do not purchase such brushes. I have to say, though, that there are still a few who prefer brushes made from such material for the quality it offers.
- Earlier, these brushes were manufactured by many reputed brush manufacturers. As the illegal nature of the trade came to light in the early 2000s, major manufacturers stopped production.
- But the demand from buyers ensured that smaller manufacturers kept producing the brushes.”
- While in other wildlife crimes, most of the consumption of illegal products are abroad, in this case, the domestic market itself is enormous.
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- TRAFFIC India, a wildlife trade monitoring network, says, “It takes the lives of 50 animals for one kilogram of hair. Each mongoose yields around 40 grams of hair, out of which only 20 grams can be used to make brushes
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