NEW DELHI, Mar 15
The Odisha government on Friday warned that those who take photographs with wild animals that are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act and post them on social media were violating the law, and directed Forest officers to arrest them.
“Unscrupulous elements trying to gain fame by violating the laws of the land should be taken to task and you need to make them more famous by arresting and forwarding them to the court of law,” Odisha’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife) Susanta Nanda, said in a letter to divisional forest officers (DFOs).
In the letter, Nanada said taking photographs/selfies with wild animals that come under schedules of the Act disturbs their regular life cycle and posting such photos on social media amounts to violation of wildlife law.
Such an act is a violation of the provisions of Section 9 read with Section 2(16) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and the person concerned is liable for punishment with imprisonment up to seven years, the letter said.
Also, posting photographs/selfies with dead wild animals or parts of wild animals’ bodies have also been seen on social media, and these are in violation of section 39(I)(a) read with section 39(2) and (3) of the law, the letter added. Instruction has also been issued to DFOs to spread awareness among the public at large to refrain from such activities. “Any one desiring to take photographs of wild animals should abide by the laws and guidelines in force with permission from forest officials for the purpose,” Nanda said. He also asked field officers to display details of helpline numbers at prominent places and on social media to facilitate the sharing of information from persons wanting to help the cause of wildlife.
In November last year, police in Odisha’s Angul arrested a 24-year-old from Talcher after a video of his went viral, in which he is seen instigating a wild elephant by pulling its tail while chasing it.
At the time, authorities had announced a reward for people for providing information about him.
