We had recently visited the village of Walwande near Jawhar in Mahashtra, as part of a Rural Tourism Initiative.
Walwande is a small village on the Jawhar – Vikramgad Road. The primary occupation is agriculture.The land seems fertile, with the monsoons having coloured it green. We had our meals at a local villager’s house, and they were the most delicious meals of this trip. Somehow, home cooked food is so yummy!
However, what made my stomach turn was the rampant illegal hunting of birds and small animals that happens in this entire belt. Nearly every villager was carrying a catapult, and we saw some point their’s at trees, looking for birds. The whole area, though a possibly rich bird habitat with all the cultivation, water bodies and greenery, didn’t yield any bird spotting. The village didn’t even have crows and mynas, common birds near human settlement. I don’t want to support any place that destroys wild life, and I have been speaking to people to see if we could raise an awareness campaign amongst the locals, trying to wean them away from their illegal habits.
Terrible. I agree with you. I don’t want to support any place that kills wildlife.
That’s very sad to hear – I was curious about what their underlying reasons are for doing this? Did the villagers talk much about this?
Well, they claim they eat the hunted birds and animals. Every villager here seems to own cattle and hens. So apart from the eating bit, it’s probably a hobby.