BAJURA, MARCH 3

With the onset of snowfall in the upper belt of Bajura, hunting of rare wildlife has increased there. As reported, increased poaching has been reported in Martadi, Dahakot, Manakot, Toli, Kailashmandau, Kanda, Rugin, Chhatar and Dogadi.

According to a local of Jayabageshwori, locals head to the upper belt with guns and other domestic weapons such as machetes and spears for hunting. 'As snowfall starts, animals and birds such as boars, deer, bears, tigers and pheasants descend to avoid the snowfall, and the locals take this opportunity to hunt them,' he said, adding that locals stay up to two weeks in the forest for a good kill. Some are even said to be using dogs to hunt.

Meat of the game hunted illegally is then sold openly in Martadi. 'You can find the meat of boars, lophophorus, pheasants, deer and other animals and birds killed in the forest around this time being sold openly in Martadi these days,' said a hotelier.

It's important to note that just a few days ago, two youths of Bajura were arrested with tiger bones in Dadeldhura.

A joint team of District Police Office of Dadeldhura and Sudurpaschim Investigation Bureau had arrested the youths. One of them was a liquor shop owner in Khaptadchhededaha Rural Municipality and the other was a motorbike workshop owner in Badimalika Municipality.

As per the law, anyone convicted of hunting protected wildlife will be subjected to 5 to 15 years of prison term and a fine up to 100,000 rupees.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 4, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.