Pasighat: Responding to the call of the BJP government in Arunachal Pradesh, more and more people are surrendering their ‘Air Guns’, which were used for hunting birds and small wild animals. The state government is taking the initiative to protect the wild birds and animals in the state. Large numbers of wild birds are killed every year in Arunachal to consume as meat, which results in a decrease in numbers and ecological imbalance. So far, 2000 air guns have been surrendered in the state by the citizens. On Thursday, Arunachal Pradesh Forest and Environment Minister Mama Natung called upon wildlife hunters in the state to stop looking at birds and animals as a source of meat and instead join the government’s ‘Air Gun Surrender Abhiyan’ in protecting them.
“We need to change our mindset of looking at birds and animals only as a source of meat, as hunting isn’t a necessity in today’s date. We also need to understand the important role that wildlife plays in balancing the environment,” Natung said.
The minister was addressing a gathering in the ‘Air Gun Surrender Abhiyan’ programme at Yingkiong. The ‘Air Gun Surrender Abhiyan’ is an initiative of the state government to dissuade hunting and create awareness on the ill effects of killing wildlife. More than 2,000 airguns have been surrendered by the people of the state under the initiative so far. Air guns are commonly used by people to hunt birds.
A total of 285 locals of the Upper Siang district surrendered their airguns on Thursday as a part of the ongoing conservation initiative.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Alo Libang, who was also present in the ceremony, stressed the importance of maintaining ecological balance and the need to preserve and protect the faunal biodiversity of the district for the next generations. He also said that the district's tourism potential would be immensely increased with such conservation efforts.
