If the protest to ban the use/possession of catapults, initiated by Nature Forever Society is successful, then the catapult that you bought for your kid at a fair might make you the owner of an illegal weapon.
“According to Section 35(a) of the Wildlife Act of India, weapons include – ammunition, bows and arrows, explosives, firearms, hooks, knives, nets, poison, snares, traps, and any instrument or apparatus capable of anaesthetizing, decoying, destroying, injuring or killing an animal. The fact that a catapult has been excluded is ironic, because it is an extremely lethal weapon. Besides seriously injuring the animal, it can kill one,” said Mohammed Dilawar, Project officer, Project House Sparrow, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and president of Nature Forever Society. “Everyone talks about tiger conservation, but incidents where birds and smaller animals are affected go unnoticed, especially around non-tourist destinations. Similar incidents are happening in the tribal areas within and around the SGNP,” added Dilawar.
According to him, lakhs of catapults are sold across the country, and Mumbai is a catapult manufacturing and sales hub.
“The catapult is the oldest equipment for killing birds. A hit on a vital organ, using a stone hurled from a catapult, can kill the bird instantly. But why only birds and animals? Even adults and children get hurt,” said Col J.C. Khanna, Secretary, Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA).
Commenting on the increasing number cases of injured birds, Col Khanna said, “We do get several surgical cases, where the wings are fractured and the head of the bird is hit, but it is difficult to pinpoint the reason.”
“There is no data as such but thousands of birds might be getting killed every month. People actually target any thing they see,” said Dilawar.
So what can one do to prevent birds being targeted by catapults? “Recently when I was in Delhi, I heard that the Wildlife Act of India will be amended, and we want the catapult to be included in the list of illegal weapons. This will empower the authority, and they will have a legal right to conduct raids at places that manufacture and sell these weapons. Earlier, through a Pune-based NGO, Beauty with Care, we had written to the Ministry of Environment and Forests. But just a few individuals doing this would not suffice. It needs a mass support. We are a democracy, where numbers speak. People should flood the mail boxes of the Prime Minister and other authorities,” said Dilawar.
He further added, “The government does take certain things seriously. It’s just that we don’t push it enough. As citizens of a democratic country, we are highly lethargic and don’t use our rights to their fullest. We don’t want to fight a legal battle. It is time that we come together now. We have to do something for our birds.”