Ritualistic hunts: exploring the motivations and conservation implications in West Bengal, India

Ritualistic hunts are illegal, large, organised cultural events which are a prevalent concern in West Bengal from both an animal welfare and conservation perspective. We carried out a socio-economic survey with 112 individuals in the districts of Jhargram and West Medinipur to better understand the characteristics of these hunts, the species impacted, and the drivers and motivations of the communities that engage in these types of illegal activity. Specifically, we asked which wild animals were most desirable, which were most profitable, what derivatives from hunted animals were used for, and which wild animals were perceived to have increased most in rarity. We found that these events involve both indiscriminate and targeted killing of a wide variety of wildlife, including at least 93 inferred species (seven of which are categorised on the IUCN Red List as threatened (i.e. either Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered); in 34 the population trend has been categorised as declining, and 25 are listed on Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act). We found that wild meat/food was the most frequently stated personal use of hunted wildlife in addition to belief-based use, traditional medicine, and decorative use. Engagement in the onward commercial sale of wildlife was also reported by more than a third of hunters. However, personal enjoyment was identified by most hunters as their main motivation for taking part in ritualistic hunts. Despite widespread engagement in ritualistic hunting, we found that the majority of hunters also expressed a willingness to engage in legal non-consumptive alternatives if they were made available. As such, we recommend that in addition to effective law enforcement, further research to identify viable non-consumptive alternatives and inform associated human behaviour change initiatives could help deliver a positive transformation for both wildlife and people in West Bengal.